Elementary School Building Committee Gets to Work

At their March 5 meeting, the Hopkinton Board of Selectmen officially appointed a new Elementary School Building Committee (ESBC) with the mission “To facilitate the development of a proposed solution to the operational and educational constraints of Center School that will be supported by the voters of Hopkinton, as well as the MSBA.” The ESBC has already been sworn in, begun meeting weekly and selected a chair. “This committee is a Dream Team for Hopkinton, each member bringing a depth of experience, wisdom and passion to this project that bodes well for the future of our community’s youngest students.” said Joe Markey, ESBC Chair. You can visit their website at http://www.hopkintonma.gov/home/government/boards/esbc

Committee Members:

1. Joe Markey (ESBC Chair) as the At Large member of the Community. Joe is a former Planning Board chairman who brings knowledge of land use planning, Town Meeting process, and a passion for transparency in local government.  Joe’s professional work spans nearly 25 years at locally based global technology companies including EMC, focused on market research and program management.  Besides five years on Planning Board, Joe has also served on various other boards and committees in Hopkinton since moving here 10 years ago.  With one child attending Center School today, another a Center School graduate, and a third scheduled to enter Kindergarten in 2017, Joe brings a connection with a parents’ network related to Center School.
2. Mike Shepard (ESBC Vice-Chair) as member of the community knowledgeable in educational mission and function of facility. Mike has extensive MSBA school building experience in Hopkinton and Brookline. He is a qualified and practicing building inspector with a strong understanding of building codes, standards and materials. He has four grand kids in the school system. He is also a former Hopkinton Selectmen.
3. Rob Nickerson (ESBC Secretary/Clerk) as member of the community with communications, marketing and/or facilitator experience. Rob possesses extensive experience as a facilitator and project manager. He works at Math Works and brings professional experience and passion for communications, meeting facilitation, and integrating user experience input to product development.
4. John Weaver as member of the community with architecture, engineering and/or construction experience. John has four kids who went through the Hopkinton’s school system and wants to give back to the community. He is co-owner and Managing Principal of DiGiorgio Associates Inc. and has overseen multiple large construction projects in the health care sector. He has demonstrated ability to help project leaders understand and incorporate different stakeholders’ interests and bring closure to projects.
5. Local Chief Executive Officer, John Mosher
6. Administrator or Manager, Norman Khumalo (Non-voting)
7. School Committee Member, Jon Graziano
8. Alternate School Committee Member, Scott Aghababian (Non-voting, except in the absence of the other SC Member)
9. Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Steven Hiersche (Non-voting)
10. Local Official Responsible for Building Maintenance, David Daltorio (Non-voting)
11. School Principal, position currently filled by Greg Martineau until a permanent Center School principal is hired (Non-voting)
12. Local budget official or member of local finance/Appropriation Committee, Pam Waxlax
13. SBC member who is MCPPO certified, Ralph Dumas (Non-voting)

Statements of Interest:

What is a Statement of Interest (SOI):
An SOI provides a notification that Hopkinton is actively seeking Massachusetts School Building Administration (MSBA) partnership. SOIs state the conditions of an existing school building and do not specify a solution. Submitting an SOI is the first step as the Hopkinton Elementary School Building Committee (ESBC) works with the community to evaluate alternatives and develop a preferred solution over the coming many months.

Why Two SOIs?
The MSBA allows only one “priority Statement of Interest” from a community and the “priority Statement of Interest” for Hopkinton is for Center School. A second SOI relative to Elmwood is also being prepared in order to provide the ESBC as many options as possible as they seek a solution for Center School. The second SOI would only be used if the ESBC ultimately determines, after deliberations that would take place over many upcoming months, that a solution to Center School could involve sharing of building resources at Elmwood School.

What is the Status of the SOIs?
Both SOIs are presently drafts being reviewed by the ESBC and considered by the School Committee and the Board of Selectmen, and would require votes by both committees before being submitted.  If favorably voted upon, the SOIs will be finalized and submitted no later than April 10, 2013.

Upcoming ESBC Meeting Dates:

• Thurs, March 28 at 7:00pm (evening)
• Thurs, April 4 at 7:00am (morning)
• Thurs, April 11 at 7:00pm (evening)
• All meetings are held at the Firestation Training Room, are open to the public, but are not televised.