Message from School Board on Taxes

Due to favorable financial market conditions, the East Montpelier School Board secured permanent financing for the school construction project which was approved by the voters in November 2012. We were able to lock in a rate lower than the rates projected at the time of the bond vote. This will save taxpayers over $300,000 over the life of the loan. 2013-2014 property tax bills include the East Montpelier Elementary School Bond payment. The tax rate includes a 16.4 cent increase for residential properties. Nonresidential properties are not impacted by the cost of the project and do not have a tax increase for this construction project.

Residential property owners whose combined household income is less than $99,000 (or $106,000 if working), may be eligible for a property tax adjustment. Vermont State Tax Forms H144 and H122 can still be filed until October 15, 2013.

Construction has started at School, we will be posting some pictures soon stayed tooned!

Construction work at school this week July 15-19:

Excavate for new addition footings/form footings

Recreational soccer field drainage pipe installation

Interior demolition in gym area

Rough in of piping systems in 1989 corridor

Rough in of electrical systems in 1989 corridor

Update June 13,2013

The EMES Oversight Committee + Facilities Committee UPDATE

The EMES Oversight Committee has been working since last November in getting us to the point to start construction.   A lot has happened in the last few months to make sure we can break ground as soon as possible.  We have made some compromises along the way to make sure we stay within budget.   It is not easy but we are making sure that we respond to the school needs at the same time we make sure we stay on budget.   We will have bleachers in the gym but not in the location we originally wanted them to be.  The original idea of moving the bathroom and punching a hole through a structural wall proved too costly.  We have added benches for the teams, a safe space to keep score and bleachers on the stage instead.  This was the best solution for our money.  The community approved a bond for $8.17M and we can’t go over this amount, we are not getting any state money either.   Bids for the Permanent Financing for the bond will be opened on June 17^th.

   

TruexCullins Architects sent out the bid set of drawings to all six of our pre-qualified contractors, and on June 11^th we opened five bids!    A great job was done by all specially the work that went into the set of drawings by the architects and their subcontractors.  Thank you for their hard work!

The oversight committee recommended to the Board to accept the bid from the lowest bidder: 

Wright &Morrissey   $ 5,522,500.00

We had originally in our budget 6.4M for construction, on our next meeting we will be looking at the list of priorities.  The first step will be to add some of the money to our owner project contingency fund to increase it from $420,000.00 to $600,000.00

On Wednesday, June 12, at 6:00pm the School Board had a special meeting to award the contract to the General Contractor.  At this meeting we heard a lot of the comments and concerns of a small group of our community.  After that meeting it was clear that we needed to do a better job providing more information to the community. 

First the School Board has asked the Superintendent to give us a full report on the temporary classroom removal process.  As soon as this is available we will post it. 

Second we will be posting after each of our oversight committee meetings progress reports on Front Porch Forum and we will post updates and drawings at the Town Clerks office to make sure everybody has access to the information.

Third we will continue to post in the school website www.emontpelierschool.org click on the link to the Facilities Committee or our Blog: http://emesfacilities.blogspot.com/ for updated plans. 

If you have any questions, please email Alicia Lyford alyford@u32.org or Flor DiazSmith diazsmith.flor@gmail.com

 It takes a Village to raise a child and light the fire, thank you for your support!

Phasing

Phasing of the EMES Building Project:

The EMES Oversight Committee recently finalized the General Conditions for the Contractors.  We will be sending these out to our six pre-qualified bidders on May 20^th, with a date due back to us on June 10^th.  The EMES Board will accept the final bid at their meeting in June (date to be determined).  Construction is set to begin Monday, June 24^th, and will continue straight through until August, 2014.  The work will be done in three phases.

Phase I-II:  June 24^th – December, 2013

During Phase I, the contractors will complete the expansion of the building, which will include two new classrooms, the art and music room, foreign language office, additional storage, and new bathrooms.  There will be underground storage for grounds equipment and our fire pump in this part of the building as well.  In addition, the existing gym will be renovated in the summer of 2013.

Phase III: January, 2014 – June 23, 2014

A section of the school from the existing pre-k classroom down to K/1 exit near the parent drop off, will be relocated to the new wing.  During Phase III, the contractors will build the new library, the pre-k classroom, and the “admin suite,” which includes guidance, health, occupational therapy, a conference room, staff room, and the principals’ office.  The kitchen and new cafeteria will be built in the latter part of Phase III. This will include asbestos abatement, that will happen in February school Break.  Town Meeting will be at U32 this year.

Phase IV: June, 2014 – August, 2014

During Phase III, the contractors will complete the work started in Phase II and III, as well as all other work in the existing building. That needs to be linked to the entire building.   heating and ventilation, window, insulation, lighting fixtures, etc.  The existing library will become two primary classrooms, and the existing bathrooms will be renovated.  This work will be completed in August, 2014.

Work to the exterior of the building will begin in the summer of 2013, and will conclude the summer of 2014.  Attached is a draft of the final floor plan as it will look in August, 2014. 

If you have any questions on the temporary move of the Pre-school class to Calais Elementary, for the school year 2013-2014; please come to the School Board Meeting on Monday May 20th at 6:30 pm 

A Copy of the letter that was sent to parents is posted bellow.

many thanks,

Flor Diaz Smith

Oversight Committe and School Board Member

_________________________________________________________________________________

East Montpelier Elementary School

665 Vincent Flats Road

East Montpelier, VT 05651

802-223-7936

www.emontpelierschool.org

Marion Anastasia, Ed.D., Principal                                                Alicia Lyford,  M.Ed., Assistant Principal

May 6, 2013

Dear Parents of 2013-2014 EMES Pre-Kindergarten Students;

Welcome to the East Montpelier Elementary School! 

We are excited to have our youngest learners join our community!

EMES Renovations

As you know, we are going to start our renovations this summer, with the construction continuing until the fall of     2014-2015. For those of you who have 3-year olds, that means that they will have a brand new pre-kindergarten classroom for their 2^nd year of pre-kindergarten; and the present 4 -year olds will have a brand new kindergarten classroom!   Naturally, the construction brings challenges for next year.  Given that pre-kindergarten has unique needs, we face barriers for space that is appropriate to ensure licensing regulations.   To address this, we have worked with the Calais school board, principal, and pre-kindergarten teacher to brainstorm an alternate space for one year only.   The Boards are happy to work with one another to accommodate the needs of the EMES pre-kindergarten learners. 

Although the discussion has been at the board level, they are crafting a Memorandum of Understanding for a one- year rental of space for the EMES pre-kindergarten program.  The boards will act on this during their regularly scheduled May Board meetings.  (EMES May 20^th & Calais May 22^nd)

Pre-Kindergarten Schedule

We have crafted the following plan for scheduling pre-kindergarten for the 2013-2014 year.

Ø  4-Year Old (10 hour) Program: Mondays-Tuesdays- Thursdays:  (8:40-12:00) This session will be combining the Calais and East Montpelier pre-kindergarten 4-year olds.  (Students that turn 4 by September 1^st, 2013.)

Ø  3-Year Old (10 hour) Program: Monday-Tuesdays-Thursdays:  (12:15-3:35) This session is for EMES students. (Students that turn 3 by September 1^st 2013.)

Ø  Wednesdays – Fridays: Regularly scheduled Calais 3-year old program; 6 hours/40 minutes a week.

Lunch will be offered during both Monday-Tuesday-Thursday sessions.

Transportation

Transportation is currently provided one-way through the EMES program; we will continue to offer this level of transportation.   

Ø  The 4-year olds can ride their regularly scheduled EMES bus route to EMES in the morning.  When they arrive at EMES, they will be greeted and board a bus to Calais School with the supervision of a paraeducator.  (Afternoon transportation provided by parents.)

Ø  The 3-year olds can ride a bus from Calais School after the pre-kindergarten program to EMES, with supervision.  From EMES, they can ride their regularly scheduled EMES bus route home.  (Morning transportation provided by parents.)

After Care

Ø  After care can be provided through the Community Connections program at Calais School.

                                                                                  Meeting with Pre-Kindergarten Families

Since there are many logistics to be considered at the family and individual levels, we would like to meet with you on Wednesday, May 22^nd at 5:30 at Calais School in the pre-kindergarten classroom.   At this meeting, we can answer any questions you have,  confirm your child’s attendance in either the 3- year old or the 4 -year old program, after care needs, and transportation.  

Ø  Although you have attended the pre-kindergarten screening at EMES, we would like to hear from you to confirm your interest.

Ø  If you cannot attend the meeting on May 22^nd, but plan on having your child attend pre-kindergarten, please call Jane Badger at 223-7936 to confirm the session your child will attend, if your child will access the 1-way transportation and if you are interested in after-care.   To ensure a space for your child, we need this information by May 23, 2013 so that we can appropriately staff the programs!    

Ø  If you do not plan on having your child attend, please call Jane Badger at 223-7936, as well!

I look forward to meeting you!

Sincerely,

Marion Anastasia, EMES Principal 

Facilities Committee  + Oversight Committee Update

The Oversight Committee has made a lot of progress but there is still a lot of work ahead.  We welcome William Ford to the Oversight committee as our Owners Rep/Clerk of the Works for the duration of the project.   We have reviewed and pre-qualified General Contractors in preparation for future biding in May.  The architects are working on finalizing the preliminary cost estimate with the Design Development Drawings.   The Oversight Committee is now reviewing the cost and making sure we stay in budget.  We will probably have to make some cuts in order to make sure that when bids come in we are not over what we can spend.

The Architect and Civil Engineer have submitted plans to the town for our Design Review Permit.

We had the hearing with the Design Review Board last Tuesday April 2, 2013 they are in support of the project as presented with two conditions that we get a curb cut permit and coordinate with the town the under ground pipe that will bring the treated storm water into the wetlands behind the Recreational field.

TruexCullins Architects are working now on the Final Bid Set at the same time we will continue to work on making sure the plans reflect what we need and what we can afford.  We are hoping to start construction on June 24,2013!!!

On the financial side, bank and loan accounts are being held at the Merchant’s Bank for the temporary bonding.  Finally, the Committee is developing the project timeline, identifying the cash flow requirements and drafting up bid specifications for the permanent financing. 

Please feel free to post any questions you might have on the Facilities Committee blog  http://emesfacilities.blogspot.com or email Alicia at:  alyford@u32.org or Flor at: diazsmith.flor@gmail.com

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Facilities Committee  + Oversight Committee Update

The Bond vote is now final, with expiration of the appeal period, on December 6, 2012, at 7pm.  The next steps in the process has now begun.  A lot is now happening; here is a small update:

First, we will like to thank all of the volunteers to the Facilities Committee for their amazing work to make this project a reality.  A special thanks to the teachers and staff who volunteered so many hours through the years supporting this effort.  Last, many thanks to all of the East Montpelier residents for passing the Bond.

The role of the Facilities Committee has changed now that we have accomplished our first goal of passing the Bond.   We will continue to be the communication link to the community and we will work on the School Capitol Plan.  The School Board has appointed an Oversight Committee with primary responsibility for making the renovations and additions to the School a reality.  The Oversight Committee is made up of Administrators, Community Members from the Facilities Committee and a Board Member. 

The Oversight Committee meets once a week on Wednesdays from 1 to 3 pm.  You can look at the minutes in the Facilities Committee tab on the School Web page.  www.emontpelierschool.org 

The Oversight Committee has made a lot of progress but there is still have a lot of work ahead.  The architects are working on finalizing the final drawings and coordinating the permitting.  The Committee is interviewing for a Clerk of the Works and sending out Requests for Proposals to General Contractors, to pre-qualify them.    On the financial side, bank and loan accounts are being held at the Merchant’s Bank for the temporary bonding.  Finally, the Committee is developing the project timeline, identifying the cash flow requirements and drafting up bid specifications for the permanent financing. 

We will continue to update your regularly.  Please feel free to post any questions you might have on the Facilities Committee blog  http://emesfacilities.blogspot.com or email  Alicia at:  alyford@u32.org or  Flor at: diazsmith.flor@gmail.com

Facilities Committee