Wareham Town Meeting convenes April 25
A new dog park, renovating the Onset bathouse and studying renovation options for Minot Forest School are all on the agenda when Annual Town Meeting convenes on Monday, April 25.
All registered voters may attend, participate and vote at the meeting, which starts at 7 p.m. in the Wareham High School auditorium.
There are 24 article on the agenda for the regular meeting and 12 articles on the agenda for a Special Town Meeting, set to start at 7:30 p.m. in the same place.
The articles cover a range of issues, including the purchase of 10 school buses, the creation of a committee to study the possibility of electronic voting and routine articles for transferring money.
The following are explanations of some agenda items voters will decide starting Monday evening.
Dog park
A volunteer group called DPAW (Dog Park Affiliation of Wareham) seeks $100,000 in Community Preservation funds to construct a dog park. Volunteers will maintain the park and additional funds will be raised by DPAW.
In Wareham, there are 1,283 registered dogs in town, but no public property where they can run off-leash.
If approved, the fenced in park would be built off Indian Neck Road in Minot Forest.
Community Preservation funds come from a surtax on properties valued $100,000 or more. Per state law, the funds must be used for affordable housing, historic preservation, or open space preservation or recreation.
While supportive of the idea, Selectmen expressed concerns about insuring the park.
Bathhouse funds
Voters will be asked to appropriate $215,000 from Community Preservation funds to kick off renovations at the Onset bathhouse.
The Buzzards Bay Coalition has a $2 million renovation plan in mind that includes for the bathhouse
According to the Buzzards Bay Coalition, the bathhouse will look the same and Nemasket Kayak will continue to operate there.
The coalition is applying for a $400,000 grant from the Massachusetts Cultural Council for additional funds. The remaining funds will be raised privately.
School repairs
Four years after voters shot down an agenda item to approve $575,000 study renovation options at Minot Forest Elementary, proponents are back with a similar request.
The district applied for renovation funds in 2012 from the Massachusetts School Building Authority. The authority approved the request, which means up to 75 percent of the study’s cost would have been reimbursed by the state.
That’s again the case this year, and Principal Joan Seamans has spent this winter and spring educating voters on the importance of funding the study.
Among the issues the school faces are a small amount of asbestos in the ceiling and floor tiles. While levels aren’t high enough to pose a health risk to students or staff, outside companies must be called in to replace the material if it is disturbed.
The boilers, generators and elevator are original and were installed when the school was built in the mid 1960s. Because of their age, Seamans said custodians have difficulty finding parts for repairs.
Four classrooms are sealed off due to mold issues. Seamans said a renovation and addition would open up more classroom space for students and teachers.
“We are in dire need of space,” Seamans said.
On Monday, Seamans will give a presentation on Town Meeting floor documenting the various needs of the building. The town will not be eligible for reimbursement unless it completes the study.
Funding roof and boiler repairs at John W. Decas Elementary school are also on the agenda. The total cost for repairs and improvements is $2.2 million. The Massachusetts School Building Authority has agreed to reimburse the town 70.1 percent of the project.
Community Preservation
There is a $24,000 request from the Community Preservation Committee to purchase fencing around three softball fields at the Westfield recreation complex. Selectmen support the article.
Another agenda item will request $60,000 from Community Preservation funds to restore historic windows at the First Congregational Church.