I forget the reason for the delay if the additional money is not given.

$400,000 per month. If the voters do not approve the additional money, then th project requires some redesign and contractor rescheduling that will delay the project 7 months. That translates to $3 million in additional costs,

Enough is enough !! Work within the original budget and get rid of the people who can't. So, we have now gone from $4 mil a few months ago to $13-$16 mil additionally needed for the school project. Stop this nonsense!! ....let's discuss the overage on the snow removal budget that's approaching $.5 mil and how this will be balanced.

Enough is enough !! Work within the original budget and get rid of the people who can't. So, we have now gone from $4 mil a few months ago to $13-$16 mil additionally needed for the school project. Stop all this nonsense !! ....let's discuss the overage on the snow removal budget that's approaching $.5 mil and how this will be balanced.

Stev,

Are you willing to join the committee if we get rid of them? Someone needs to do it. It is always easier to critize than understand.

NO MORE MONEY

Sorry SSBC I have no more money to give. I am a single home owner with 4 jobs, yes 4! I can NOT come up with a single dime. The cost of food , gas, taxes, ins,, medical , cable etc have all gone up. Unless I can pay in blood, I have no more to give!( I know I am not alone in this.) I beg every homeowner to get out there this time and vote NO. We all need to live with in our budgets I suggest the schools do as well

I am sure there are some families for whom the additional funds feel impossible. While we all make choices where to spend, and I prefer to spend on my children's and my town's future, some really are up against a wall. I would be willing to pay a bit more, so that people could apply for an abatement of part of their share if they really cannot afford it. To apply for such funds, one would have to provide documentation of true financial need. But really, charge me $100 more per year if that is what it takes to get the school our children deserve. If you think education is expensive, try ignorance.

While I am upset that the state process allowed for an estimation to be off by this much, it doesn't make any sense to take a knee on the goal line. Some things on the list can go -- like granite curbs. Others make no sense to drop -- keep the a/v equipment, white boards/bulletin boards, put the seats/lights in the auditorium, etc.

Voting no will increase the spend, and time to completion further. The SSBC and town followed the rules as set out by the state. The initial estimates were based on the dictated requirements. Were mistakes made in the estimates? Yes. Am I happy about it? No. Have people owned up to the mistakes? Yes. Are they working as hard as they can to address the problems? In my opinion, absolutely Yes. Do they still deserve our support? Yes again, absolutely.

If the budget was presented based on 90% complete construction documents last year, I am confident the project would have still passed the vote. It will cost what it will cost. It's unfortunately more than we had originally thought. We will pay it out (or more if we vote no) one way or the other. We must vote yes again. No one likes this situation, but we need to step up to the plate and ensure the project can be completed on time, and within the final budget as outlined last night. The guarantee from the contractor will cap our final cost. This is as good as it can get.

I wish to commend the volunteers who make up the School Committee, Finance Committee, and the Secondary School Building Committee who have worked tirelessly on this project. As unhappy as I am about the situation, I support them fully and am extremely grateful for their commitment towards making North Reading a better place to live and raise our children.

I too am not happy with paying more.

Just keep this in mind, a no vote does not gaurantee your taxes will not go up for this project. The SSBC will be forced to make additional cuts to the project reducing educational space. The MSBA reimbusrement rate is based on size and total square footage of educational space. This will cause the reimbursement rate to drop and that money will be switched to north reading causing an increase in exempt debt. The exempt debt increase will trigger a tax rate increase due to the money lost in reimbursement from the state.

I just want people to understand this before they vote no. This may not make sense, but the cheapest solution is to vote the extra money now without delay. The Contruction Manager will gaurantee the cost of the project. That means if there are any additional overruns, they will be absorped by the Contruction Manager, not the town. This is called CM at Risk. This will also gaurantee full reimbursement from the MSBA.

"If the voters do not approve the additional money, then the project requires some redesign and contractor rescheduling that will delay the project 7 months. That translates to $3 million in additional costs". THAT IS NOT ACCEPTABLE....NOR IS IT BELIEVABLE. Redesign does not take that long. The contractors & project managers should be working on some of these NOW and, in light of their contributions to this debacle, SHOULD make it a priority. Someone needs to get tougher. And yes I am speaking from experience and would be willing to get involved IF the objective is to build within the approved budget a wonderful school for all children into the future. IT CAN BE DONE.

I wasn't at the meeting, and I'm not completely happy with the cost overruns, but this type of thing is not uncommon in the field of construction. What I am concerned with are the things that are going to be cut if an extension is not passed. No air conditioning? An incomplete auditorium? No Gym bleachers? Some of the things i wouldn't mind cutting (I really don't have a strong need for colored concrete) but some of these things shouldn't be cut. We can grumble all we want but voting no isn't going to make the construction firm suddenly say, "Oh we suddenly found a way to make everything work for the budget you have."

I am a mother of two children and making ends meet too, so I definitely can see why this is pissing people off. I'm also in an industry that deals with a lot of construction and I know that cost overruns are not uncommon. Everyone should keep in mind they aren't asking for thousands of dollars from people. The cost cited ends up being about $15/month for houses worth $450K... I'm willing to do that if it means having a school done on time and without cuts in the design.

The town has a Taxation Aid Committee, which, in fact, met this morning. The Assessor's Office can help anyone who needs assistance with taxes explore available programs and fill out applications. Anyone can donate to the Taxation Aid Fund. We have had flyers in our waters bills about this, and you can call the Assessor's office to learn where to make a donation, which will help North Reading neighbors in need.

Laying blame isn't going to change the facts. For those who are concerned and have ideas, attend the meetings, talk with project leaders, and get answers.

Two questions:
I went to the first informational meeting, not the second. I could be wrong, but was 'no air conditioning' mentioned as one of the items to be cut at the first meeting? I remember thinking I could live without colored concrete, a motorized basketball hoop and district offices, but no AC is kind of a big deal. I moved here specifically for the schools, but I'd like to make sure tax payers are not being given an extra heaping of doom-and-gloom if the second increase doesn't go through.

Secondly, if the second round of funding is approved, I'd like to know how taxpayers will be reimbursed if the town does recoup money from the entities who bungled the original estimate. I'm getting the vibe that we're kind of chalking up the wrong estimate to the notion that "hey that's just what happens with construction estimates." This may very well be the case; however, in a contract/project of this magnitude, why didn't the town incorporate a safety net where the risk of this type of "run-of-the-mill' overrun was borne by the Project Manager or GC and not the town itself?

If the town can recoup money because of the overrun, how will taxpayers on the hook for a second tax increase be reimbursed?

John Intorcio. what is websters definition of BAMBOOZLE ? If You paid 25% over Your original Quote for Your deck That doesnt mean that NR taxpayers should.

The article states items were added between the first and second public forums (my bad for reading too quickly) but it seems like air conditioning and fixed auditorium seating are fairly big ticket items the school will lack which weren't even mentioned a month ago.

BAMBOOZLE? I think the word is Swindled. If you want to reduce scope to save money, it will cost more! If you want to move forward as is it will be $13mm over budget. Rock? hard place?

Kevin,

I believe your are a Wilmington resident? Though a regional school is intriguing, it is too late for that.

Kevin,

Please do not tell us to halt our project when you do not live in North Reading. The plan will not be changed.

I don't think I have to convince anyone that I support education (15 years on the school committee) and have extensive experience in school construction projects (5 years on the school building committee). Even with new MSBA regulations in place, my experience is still relevant. Construction, design plans, educational needs, etc. are still the same. In the past we were not required to have a project manager, the SBC members did that job. I spent every morning at on-site meetings during the Hood School construction project. But that's not the point...
I cannot believe that the town is not able to build a new high school & core facility & renovate the middle school...produce a more-than-adequate school facility... that will last for generations...for $107 million!
However, we are voting NO because we cannot afford the tax increase.
It's simply a matter of affordability.
It's not about trash fees, it's not about what other towns do. I understand the consequences of reducing the scope of the project.
We voted for the project knowing it would stretch our budget. We voted yes, we have made sacrifices in our personal finances. We cannot do anymore.
I hope people can appreciate that, no amount of information shared at a meeting is going to put more money in my bank account.

Mel Webster, No I havent attended any of the misinformation sessions and I will not be because most of the information seems to turn out incorrect. Lets totally eliminate both fitness rooms we dont need tennis courts nor traffic lights Atheletic field team room building etc. etc. etc. Seems like there was to much FAT in this project to start out with. How much tax money does each of these information sessions cost the town taxpayers ?

Accountability
The obligation of an individual or organization to account for its activities, accept responsibility for them, and to disclose the results in a transparent manner. It also includes the responsibility for money or other entrusted property.
Responsibility
A duty or obligation to satisfactorily perform or complete a task (assigned by someone, or created by one's own promise or circumstances) that one must fulfill, and which has a consequent penalty for failure.Found in BusinessDictionary.com

Lets use the profits from the Hillview Country Club to help fund this fiasco.

I will be voting in favor of the increase. I think that the messaging around the school project has caused much of the contention but the need for the increased fee for me is understandable and appropriate. To build a new complex and not have it done correctly does not make sense to me. I do respect however the politics of people's own pocket books but find the adjectives used to describe the increased costs and the people involved with the decision making process to be frustrating and insulting and not helpful to the discussion. From a messaging perspective this increased costs amounts to about $13 - $16 more per month for the average household or about $ 52 - $63 more per quarter. I think that this is the message that needs to be sent rather than the increased annual cost. I commend all who have worked on this project. It is a complicated matter and involves so many constituents. I certainly will vote in favor of a modernized facility for the benefit of our entire town.

John Intorcio - Which comments were not based on facts and what didnt You understand ?

School Building Project Estimated to Cost $13 to $16 Million More and that figure is just an estimate. Wish I could pay my bills that way. Here you go here is an estimate of what I can afford this month. Forget about asking for any more money until you have contractors and project managers who know how to build schools not spin their wheels waste time and are able to provide timely exact hard numbers. Until changes are made to the bid process, where you must choice cost of experience. This problem will occur over and over again. Cheaper more often than not means trouble. Maybe you should consult Angie's List. Sorry, just like everyone else this taxpayer doesn't have the luxury of expecting through some miracle additional monies will appear out of nowhere to help pay my bills every month. It's called living within a budget, this is reality and thus far SSBC is a fairy tale. While the Batch looks nice, I would steer clear of any reimbursement joint projects be it state of federal. As we all know their track records with our roadways, transportation infrastructure transit system are in a state of decay. None of the items on the decide not to approve list appear to have anything to do with improving education for students. Good luck!