Option 2 Examined at Citizens Facilities Committee

Windham LINK attended the Citizens Facilities Committee Meeting on March 23, 2015.

The Committee met to discuss was has become known as “Option 2”, a plan that calls for an addition to Golden Brook School that would house grades Pre-K through grade 4. Option 2 would make Golden Brook School one of the largest elementary schools in the state, with a total of 1,000 students.

The recent Citizens Petition to vote on Option 2 and put forth on the March ballot was done without the full consensus of the Committee. The Committee hopes to present its complete plan to the School Board for final approval in April.

The Citizens Facilities Committee, along with several community members who attended the meeting, listed several areas that the proposed Option 2 needs to address, including:

The need to relocate the Golden Brook School student population during construction.

The Committee felt that it would be feasible to relocate the current GBS of 600 students to a recently vacated school in Salem, NH, citing that Windham has relocated students in the past.

The need to consult with an Architectural/Engineering firm that specializes in educational facilities.

Members of the Committee commented that they are aware they have not addressed site issues such as:

• the capacity of the septic system
• lack of parking
• traffic flow that requires students to move back and forth across the road behind the school to the field

NOTE: Option 2 is moving forward with the presumption that a parcel of land adjacent to GBS and owned by a Committee member will be sold to the School District should Option 2 garner support.

The needs for adequate indoor and outdoor space for 1,000 children are not addressed in Option 2.

• Adding two grade levels would require a second field for Physical Education classes.
• Current drawings do not include a playground.
• The need to consider “commute times” of children from one end of the building to the other.

The current layout does not centrally locate core spaces such as the media center, cafeteria, and art/music rooms, nor does it add a second cafeteria or gym to accommodate additional students.

Additional needs to be addressed.

• Creating a nurses office large enough to serve 1,000 children
• Emergency evacuation plan and location suitable to contain 1,000 children
• Adequate special education classroom space
• Sufficient core spaces (gym, cafeteria, media center, art room, music room, etc.)

Windham LINK would like to encourage parents and community members to attend the next Citizens Facilities Committee on Monday, April 6, 2015 at 5 PM at the SAU Building. For more information about please visit www.WindhamLINKtoEducation.com