Press Release: “DuxburyCARES” Supports School Re-Build

The following press release has been distributed to local news outlets.

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With Town Meeting less than two months away, a Duxbury citizens’ committee has organized to encourage residents to vote “YES” on the upcoming school building article. “DuxburyCARES” will inform residents on the state of DMS and DHS and communicate why re-building is the most fiscally responsible and educationally sound option.

The school building article seeks approximately $3.5MM in funding for architectural and schematic drawings, based on an existing state model school design program. At the 2009 Town Meeting, voters approved a $200,000 feasibility study to review the state of Duxbury Middle School and Duxbury High School. The results of that study were outlined last spring by the School Building Committee (SBC) which reconvened in 2008 to assess the options for these schools.

As a reminder, residents must be registered to vote to raise a hand in the upcoming March 12th Town Meeting and vote again in the March 26th Town Election. The last day to register to vote is February 18th at Town Hall; mail-in forms are also available at the Post Office and Library. “Vote Twice if YOU Care” will be the rallying cry for DuxburyCARES because the school building article must pass at Town Meeting and again at Town Election.

Elizabeth Lewis, a Duxbury resident, engineer, and chair of the SBC commented on the committee’s work over the past two years. “We’ve assessed every brick and corner of these buildings,” said Ms Lewis. “The systems are shot: roofs, walls, windows, mechanical, electrical, and plumbing. Neither building comes close to current codes for energy compliance, ADA, seismic or wind resistance. We unanimously recommend rebuilding DHS and DMS in one location, giving us 43% reimbursement from the state. This is the most cost effective, responsible option over the long haul.”

In Spring 2010, the SBC outlined six options considered in the feasibility study, ranging from renovating to rebuilding both buildings at two different locations. The cost of these options, outlined in the building feasibility study which can be found on the school website at http://www.duxbury.k12.ma.us/, ranged from $68MM to $148MM. The SBC recommends building a co-located DMS and DHS at an estimated cost of $125MM. The buildings would operate independently and maintain unique identities but share infrastructure in systems, media-technology and kitchen areas. Classrooms, offices, hallways and cafeterias would be separate for the two schools.

Dr. Ben Tantillo, Superintendent of Duxbury Schools, is scheduled to present an overview of the schools and the SBC recommendations at the School Committee meeting, Wednesday, January 19th at 7:00pm in room 104 at Alden School. “We’re at a crossroad,” said Dr. Tantillo. “Both DMS & DHS were built in the 1960’s, a decade when the quality of construction didn’t come close to 1926 when our original high school was built (now the Town Library). Even the 2002 accreditation for DHS cited the facility ‘at risk’. The time has come.”

The next meeting for DuxburyCARES will be held on Thursday, January 20th at 10:00am upstairs at One, located on Depot Street next to D’orazio’s. Anyone is welcome to come and get involved. Karen Wong, Chairwoman of the group encourages individuals of all ages to attend this meeting. "We have parents with children from pre-school through college age as well as empty nesters and business professionals concerned about property values and the quality of our schools." said Karen. “We hope to see more new faces on Thursday."

There is an open house public tour scheduled for DMS & DHS on Saturday, Jan 22nd, from 9am -12pm. For more information about DuxburyCARES or to help fund their efforts, please visit duxburycares.org or call Karen at 781-934-6682. DuxburyCARES can also be followed on Facebook and Twitter.