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Mount Greylock Committee Talks Over Lanesborough Meeting
By Stephen Dravis, iBerkshires Staff
02:15AM / Monday, February 29, 2016
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School Committee Chairman Carolyn Greene and Superintendent Douglas Dias at Thursday's meeting.

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — Members of the Mount Greylock School Committee spent much of Thursday's 2 1/2-hour meeting discussing Lanesborough's special town meeting, at which residents debated the district's proposed $64.8 million addition and renovation project.

Lanesborough officials placed a question for discussion of the proposed Mount Greylock School project at the special town meeting. School Committee members noted that most of attendees seemed to be in favor of passing the debt exclusion vote the town will hold on March 15 (Williamstown's vote is Tuesday, March 1).

But there were a number of objections raised — both by town officials who reiterated criticisms of the project, the district and the town of Williamstown — and by residents who spoke from the floor of the meeting to express concern about the project's impact on local property tax bills.

"There were a number of people who simply said this is too much money," School Committee Chairwoman Carolyn Greene said. "Sixty-four-point-eight million is a lot of money. No one is going to argue with that. But it's less money when you're getting $32 million from the state.

"Or else, we're looking at $58 million in repairs with no support from the state. That's the choice."

Greene was referring to the costs of addressing the structural and code deficiencies in the current 60-year-old junior-senior high school building.

"And for $58 million, that is not a renovation," she said. "It's a repair. There is absolutely no educational value added to this building if we fix it."

School Building Committee Chairman Mark Shiek made that point at last week's special town meeting.

"MSBA has said that because a base repair doesn't support the educational program … they won't participate with us," Shiek said. "If we had to do it all on our own, we estimate that would be in the mid-$50 million range."

Greene said Thursday that the cost of rejecting the building plan needs to be made clear to voters over the next couple of weeks.

"If you're concerned about your tax impact, vote yes on this project," she said. "Because your tax impact is going to be much greater when we have to fix this building without the help of the state."

Reacting to the political atmosphere in Lanesborough, School Committee member Wendy Penner bristled at the notion that the school building project has been sprung upon the member towns.

"I understand that taking on additional costs to pay for the school is difficult," Penner said. "I understand people will vote against it for those reasons.

"What is not OK with me is the fact that there is town leadership in Lanesborough acting like there was information withheld. I understand people are busy and some might be just learning about this project for the first time. … But they should not for a moment think this project was exclusionary of them."

Again, Shiek spoke to that point at the special town meeting.

"We've held over 20 open meetings in both towns," he said. "In addition, we've been out at school events and other community events. There has been information at the libraries. And School Building Committee members have been available via email and phone to take questions."

Committee member Richard Cohen drew the panel's attention to a petition circulated at the special town meeting. The petition seeks a vote in both member towns to make four changes to Mount Greylock's Regional District Agreement: 1. to include tax-exempt properties in each town's total property value for the purposes of apportioning capital costs; 2. make the same adjustment in apportioning annual operating costs; 3. require a town meeting before the district makes capital expenditures in excess of $100,000; 4. guarantee that non-member towns pay "fair tuition."

The last provision was addressed by the School Committee a couple of years ago when it renegotiated tuition agreements with Hancock and New Ashford to bring the payments in line with the average cost of educating a student at Mount Greylock.

The first two provisions appear to be aimed at Williams College, which is identified by name on the petition.

Cohen pointed out that the third provision is not in line with MSBA policy and the first two may not pass muster at the state level either, even in the extremely unlikely event they were passed in Williamstown.

Without using the FUD (fear uncertainty and doubt) acronym he has employed in the past, Cohen said the petition is a clear attempt to muddy the waters ahead of Lanesborough's March 15 debt exclusion vote. The petition needs 232 signatures in Lanesborough to trigger a vote in both towns.

"There is a possibility this [petition] may move forward and we may see an effort in a short period of time to call a special town meeting," Cohen said. "My fear is [petitioner Bob Barton] may go before the Board of Selectmen asking them to call for a special town meeting for, say, April 1, and there would then be a campaign to say, 'Vote No on March 15 because we don't know what will happen on April 1.'

"We may want to clarify for people that some of these items, even if passed at special town meeting, might not be acceptable to the state. … And even if you think these ideas are good, they could go into effect six months or a year from now, so there is no reason to vote against the building project on March 15."

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