NS TOWN GOVERNMENT PROTECTING US FROM OURSELVES
- Mike Clifford
- Jul 28, 2018
- 4 min read
N.S. taxpayers should be aware of the move by town government to protect us from ourselves, undermining the will of the people and squandering our tax dollars. Apparently our elected officials and a handful of insiders believe they know better than the voters.
In 2014 the Town voters passed a bond referendum for the renovation of Kendall Dean School into a building that would house all town and school offices. The 2012-2014 Town Council voted to approve the “plan” (actually referred to in the bond question) which outlined in detail where all offices would be located within the building. The plan was the result of an 18-month study by a 17-member committee representing a cross section of community stakeholders and including all town boards and commissions. Two different architectural firms drew up plans including the re-use of the lower level of Kendall Dean as office space (where our children attended kindergarten for decades). Public hearings, mailings and newspaper reports enlightened the voters to the details of the consolidation. It was no secret that the lower level would be used. All offices were easily accommodated in both plans. In October of 2016 the PBIC (the building committee charged with overseeing the voter approved project) received bids for the project which came in over budget. They informed the outgoing Town Council of the bid issues in November of 2016 and suggested to the Town Council that the project be rebid with a modified scope of work which would still enable all town and school department offices to be housed at Kendall Dean. The Council deferred action to allow the new council to review the issue.
After taking office the newly elected 2016-2018 Town Council moved quickly to disband the #PBIC and replaced it with a new committee called the MBRTF. The Council refused to even allow the PBIC to be placed on a meeting agenda to discuss their rebid proposal in a public forum. After spending roughly $400,000 on studies and architectural plans, why would anyone be opposed to discussing a plan to salvage the project, other than maybe not wanting the plan as approved to move forward?
I have been stating for quite some time that the real issue had little to do with the bids coming in too high, which I truly believe could have been easily remedied by the recommended rebid. Instead, the real issues center on opposition by elected officials and the insiders’ to using the lower level of Kendall Dean for employee offices and also the reluctance to return the school department offices to a shared facility at Kendall Dean.
When I public ally began expressing concerns I was told I was wrong to jump to conclusions so early in the game. Well, we’re now at the point of advertising for construction bids and this is how it has played out to date: In January the #MBRTF submitted a set of plans to the Town Council for Kendall Dean which showed some School Department Administration offices in Kendall Dean and others to remain at the Middle School. Assurances were made by the MBRTF members and the architect that this plan was doable and affordable. Assurances were also made that the remaining bond funds were sufficient to cover the planned renovation costs. Based on those assurances, the Town Council authorized the MBRTF to retain the architect to draw up design build bid specs for the plans reviewed and discussed at the meeting that evening.
Fast forward to last Monday night’s (7-16-2018) Town Council meeting where MBRTF Chairman Paul #Vadenais presented bid specs for a different set of plans than those approved in January. Sure enough, in the new plans, the School Department administrative offices are no longer even in the building and only “school payroll bookkeeping” remains on the second floor. I asked how many members of the school business offices would be occupying that space and relocating back to Kendall Dean. MBRTF Chair Paul Vadenais stated unequivocally that the 5 individuals who work in the business offices of the school department would all be occupying the space.
I attended the School #Committee meeting the next night (7-17-2018) and asked how many school department employees would be returning to #Kendall Dean and if any agreements had been reached. Short answer – there are no agreements or commitments to return any employees to the Kendall Dean building once construction is completed. Take 5 minutes and to watch the video below and listen to the responses for yourselves.
Bottom line, the project now being #bid will not fulfill what the voters approved. When this project was abruptly hijacked in 2016, I began seriously doubting that the promised consolidation of town and school department offices into a single municipal building would ever take place as planned and approved. Quietly turning their backs on the voters’ will, Town officials and a handful of insiders decided they knew better than the voters and they changed your mind for you.
I suppose we’ll now be stuck with a town administration building over-sized for its number of occupants. Using the 17,000 square foot Kendall Dean building to house 6,000 square feet of office space is in no way efficient. There will be calls to spend yet more tax dollars to create more space for school administration offices that are temporarily located in classroom spaces. Not immediately of course, that would be too obvious, but in the not too distant future it will happen. I kid you not; conceptual plans for the expansion of the Andrews School building have already been drawn up. https://youtu.be/mqNEv1wEW2A?t=42s
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