Galvin Middle School project headed to a vote at 11/18 STM

An aerial rendering of the exterior of the proposed new middle school courtesy of Ai3 Architects

After seven years of planning and preparation, it is almost decision time for the Galvin Middle School building project.

The $241.76 million proposal, which calls for a total rebuild of the 50-year-old school and comes with a reimbursement commitment of at least $72 million from the Mass. School Building Authority (MSBA), will be put to a vote at a Special Town Meeting scheduled for Monday, November 18, beginning at 7 p.m. in the Canton High School auditorium. The GMS proposal will be the first item up for discussion on a night where voters will also be asked to approve a series of nine other zoning and non-zoning warrant articles.

STM approval of the new middle school will require a two-thirds majority, which would trigger a special townwide election on December 10 to authorize the funding via a debt-exclusion vote. Without the necessary approval at Monday’s meeting, the December election would be called off and the project would not move forward as currently constituted.

School Committee Chair Kendall O’Halloran emphasized the stakes at the end of last week’s meeting. “Please put in bold headlines: It is not a done deal,” she said.

Without the approval of Canton voters, school officials said they would have to start from scratch, which includes reapplying for consideration from the MSBA — a process that they said could take another seven years. They also stressed that construction costs will almost certainly rise, and there is no guarantee that they would receive the same level of reimbursement (approx. 30 percent) on a subsequent application.

School Superintendent Derek Folan has described the proposed new middle school as a “once-in-a-generation” project because it solves a lot of the problems facing the school district, including overcrowding in the elementary schools.

According to a news release authored by the School Department, building a new GMS is a key component of the district’s master plan. Among the many benefits a new GMS would bring to students and families are larger, brighter classrooms, more collaborative space for students and teachers, and recreational amenities for the entire community.

The new building will be a state-of-the-art facility serving grades 5-8, with a wing for fifth and sixth graders and a separate wing for seventh and eighth graders. This new grade alignment will relieve overcrowding at the elementary schools while giving fifth graders access to more robust academic offerings.

At the existing middle school, music classrooms are not large enough to accommodate multi-grade bands, chorus and orchestra courses and rehearsals, and the cafeteria is overcrowded and can only accommodate one grade at a time. The school’s library is not centrally located, and there is insufficient staff space, limiting the opportunity for collaboration.

According to school officials, architects for the project have designed a modern, energy-efficient building of the highest quality that will incorporate the most advanced safety features to enhance the educational experience. A new parking design will improve pick-up and drop-off for families. The town will benefit from a new 800-seat auditorium, basketball courts with bleachers, a turf athletic field complete with lights, and a rebuilt roller rink.

The plan is to open the new school in the fall of 2028.

Financial impacts for taxpayers

One of the frequently asked questions coming out of public forums and discussions is whether renovating the existing middle school would be less expensive than doing a full rebuild.

The answer, according to school officials and members of the design team, is no, citing projected costs of $125 million just to bring the 50-year-old building up to code and $277 million to complete a full renovation. It would also take an estimated two additional years to complete.

The budget for the proposed new GMS, by contrast, is $241.76 million — not including the MSBA reimbursement, which ranges from $72 million to a maximum of $74.35 million — and is all-inclusive, covering technology and furniture, as well as portions of the project that are not reimbursable, including a new auditorium, a turf field and outdoor lighting, and a geothermal energy system for public spaces.

To fund the $167-$169 million net cost after reimbursements, voters will be asked to authorize a 30-year bond, with repayment beginning in 2030. Additionally, the town plans to utilize unused levy capacity and eventually savings from a Norfolk County pension program (anticipated to be fully funded by 2035).

For the average taxpayer, Canton Finance Director Randy Scollins has estimated that the project will cost approximately $600 more per year, including an average impact of $402 by “taxing to the max,” plus an additional $198 per year on average over 30 years to cover borrowing costs.

The greatest impact will be seen in 2030, when the average taxpayer can expect to pay an additional $986, although that figure will decline to a total of $634 by year three, with additional savings from the pension program reducing the burden further in subsequent years.

“You are really helping four schools at once,” noted School Committee member Kristian Merenda, who also serves on the GMS Building Committee. “On average, the elementary schools would be [gaining] four to five classrooms of space. This is a once-in-a-blue-moon project, a one-shot deal.”

For additional information about the GMS project, including architectural renderings of the new school, visit galvinmsproject.com.

STM Child Care Service

The Canton Public Schools is pleased to offer free onsite childcare for children ages 4 and up during the November 18 Special Town Meeting. According to school officials, there was a strong desire for this service expressed through community forums and general feedback to help young families.

The childcare services, coordinated and supervised by CHS students and staff, will run from 6-9 p.m. in the CHS cafeteria. To assist with planning, families were asked to complete a pre-registration form by Tuesday, November 12. CPS will not turn away anyone who needs childcare for ages 4 and up, but it will be very helpful to have the great majority of children pre-registered.

The childcare service is open to all Canton residents, and children do not have to attend Canton Public Schools to participate. CPS asks that the children be toilet-trained. There will be a check-in and check-out procedure, and communication plans established for that evening. The CHS Family & Child Studies class, taught by Bonnie Bousquet, will be planning activities for the children, and the CHS Career Planning course, taught by Ed Amico, will be providing the students to do the childcare.

For more information, please contact Colleen Hutchinson at 781-821-5060 ext. 1134 or hutchinsonc@cantonma.org.

STM Warrant Overview

There are technically two Special Town Meetings scheduled for November 18 at CHS. The first one, slated to begin at 7 p.m., will focus solely on the GMS project, which is a requirement imposed by the MSBA.

The second STM, tentatively scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m., will cover five proposed zoning articles and five non-zoning articles.

The zoning articles include amendments to current bylaws regarding accessory living spaces; clarifications of dimensional requirements; the deletion of an obsolete provision for carriage houses; and a map update to delineate the Canton Junction Overlay District, which was approved at the 2024 Annual Town Meeting.

The non-zoning articles include the adoption of procedures to govern the Special Town Meeting; appropriation for a granular media filtration and ancillary treatment system modification to the Neponset Water Treatment Facility; setting the salary of the town clerk; adjusting FY25 accounts; and an appropriation to increase the special education reserve account.

To view the warrants for the Special Town Meeting, go to town.canton.ma.us/1065/2024-Special-Town-Meeting.

Share This Post

Short URL: https://www.thecantoncitizen.com/?p=128064