BY MATT HERSH
Salem High School was built more than 40 years ago and is in need of some updates. A recently proposed renovation and expansion plan for the school could cost upwards of $40 million.
While the plan to update the school in some way has been on the minds of school officials for several years, it took a formal committee and an architecture firm to decide what would be best for the district.
The Facilities Committee, working together with Frank P. Marinace Architecture, considered several options for updating the school, said Superintendent Michael Delahanty.
Delahanty said the committee looked at constructing a new school, which would have cost about $75 million, but decided it was too much money to ask taxpayers for. A $20 million refurbishing project was also considered, but was ruled out because it did not address the future needs of the town.
“If we’re going to invest that kind of money, we ought to be planning to do the project right and develop a facility that this community can be proud of,” Delahanty said. “It has to serve as a functional public gathering place.”
If the district’s $40 million bond is approved by voters, taxpayers could expect to see bills rise by 65 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value. A home valued at $300,000 would see a $200 jump in their bill per year.
Delahanty said the district is planning on asking voters in March to approve a $2.4 million bond article that will cover the cost of drafting blueprints and securing the architects. A $40 million bond article would appear before voters in March 2009.
If passed, construction would begin in 2009 and be completed by the fall of 2011.
The proposed changes to the school are numerous, the largest being a new athletic facility to be built close to the school’s existing running track.
The large building would become the school’s only athletic center and would be connected to the main building via an overhead walkway. The two existing gyms would then be used for additional classrooms.
The school’s main entrance and administrative offices would switch places with the current library, which faces Geremonty Drive. Science rooms and the auditorium will also be expanded, Delehanty said.
This list of proposed changes will bring Salem High School up to code and will provide a more secure building, Facilities Committee member Tim Bosch told the School Board when presenting the plan. Bosch said the school is currently pushed to capacity, especially in areas like the library, science rooms and locker rooms.
Delahanty said the board backed Bosch’s thoughts.
“The life cycle of a school this size is about 50 years, but this school is used an inordinate amount,” he said. “If you come in early in the morning people are there. If you come late at night, people are there.”
Even when approximately 600 Windham students leave in 2009, the school’s classrooms will still be too small for the population, Delahanty said. There will be about 1,500 students after Windham pulls out, according to projections.
School Board member Peter Morgan said the loss of the Windham students will affect the district on multiple levels.
“We’re going to be hit with a double whammy,” he said. “When they leave, we’re going to lose revenue while we’re trying to expand the school.”
Still, while the price tag may be hefty, Delahanty said he believes now is the time to act because construction costs will only rise as time goes by, and the school will continue to deteriorate.
But in a town where bond articles have a history of being voted down, school officials will have their work cut out for them.
“There’s a need for everyone to be informed,” Delahanty said. “They need to realize the shape that the building is in and the cost of renovations. If we do a good job of giving this information, we believe the community will be supportive.”