Stoneham School Building Committee Warming To Task

STONEHAM, Ma. - The Stoneham School Building Committee didn't need more proof that a new high school is desperately needed. But Monday's 80-degree temperatures showcased Stoneham High School's air conditioning system, a floor fan that did its best to keep the 16 members in attendance cool in a steamy library.

The committee was holding its third meeting and members were still getting acquainted. It was the first gathering after town meeting approved $750,000 for the purpose of a Feasibility Study. Marie Christie and David Bois are Co-Chairs of the committee that also includes Donna Cargill, Lauren Celi, Jeanne Craigie, Lisa Gallagher, Brian Gill, Doug Gove, Sharon Iovanni, Susan Lippman, John Macero, Nicole Nial, Stephen O'Neill, Raymie Parker, David Pignone, Paul Ryder, Dennis Sheehan, Albert Talarico, Josephine Thomson, and Kevin Tianacopolus.

Superintendent Macero, who earlier in the day announced that Northampton High School's Bryan Lombardi will take over from Cargill as the new high school principal next fall, led the discussion. His previous experience working with the Massachusetts School Building Authority in building a new high school in Winthrop is a valuable tool for the committee.

Macero told the committee about the MSBA Design Summit, held May 7-9 at Bentley University. Stoneham, Watertown, and Revere are in the MSBA pipeline for new schools and were invited by the MSBA to meet with designers and dream big. The goal was to talk with designers about what Stoneham envisions a 21st century school to be. Macero, Pignone, and Tianacopolus talked with 2 designers, one from Washington DC, one from Minnesota about what they wanted for Stoneham students. The talks didn't include budgets or any other restrictions. "It got us thinking," said Macero, who will share the results with committee members at a future meeting.

If there's a committee, there must be a sub-committee and close to 10 sub-committees were discussed including construction, finance, traffic studies, and public relations. A sub-committee on the projected school population was instead left with Macero, who's responsible for Stoneham High's 670 students and 2,450 students overall in Stoneham Public Schools. The MSBA isn't as concerned with the present as it is the future and Macero's task will be to project how big a high school Stoneham needs.

If residents feel somewhat in the dark about what's happening there's help on the way. Iovanni, Gallagher, and Nial voluntered Monday to take on public relations. Keeping residents informed is a daunting task when you consider where they're starting from.

Information on the School Building Committtee can be hard to find, even with the help of a powerful search engine. Google "Stoneham School Building Committee" and you get a town page that's essentially blank except for a drawing that may or may not be someone's vision of a future Stoneham High. Next to it is a link to the School Committee Members that includes "Shelly A. MacNeill ... Term Expires 2017." Out of date? Just a bit. But don't take my word for it, check it out yourself.

Maybe Google just hasn't caught up to the SSBC. The second item on the search page is for the "Stoneham School Building Committee Meeting" but click on it and you get the April 22 meeting. No mention of Monday night's meeting. The members of the Stoneham School Building Committee aren't listed anywhere, at least as far as a reporter could see. A Patch story on Feb. 12 listed them.

Fortunately the town website includes a calendar and Monday's meeting was listed on May 20. In addition, Christie and Bois, Co-Chairs of the School Building Committee, invited residents to attend Monday's meeting in a letter in Patch as well other media. Hard to argue with that method. But the Public Relations work is just one piece of a very large pie and in the months ahead the 20 committee members will be busy.

The committee also discussed environmental concerns and potential abatement strategies. The goal would be to identify any issues early. Is there asbestos in the walls? And just what's buried under Stoneham High School? Talk of old indian burial grounds found at other school projects made the rounds. The evening ended with a tour of the high school, with the numerous missing ceiling tiles along the hallways a reminder to the committee of their goal.