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Academy: What Happens Now?

Yes, a community center is possible in the former Academy School. That was the main message from the Ad-Hoc Academy School Community Center Design Committee at its final presentation to the Board of Selectmen (BOS) on Monday, April 22. However, how the project may or may not move forward is less clear.

The committee was charged with working in consultation with Colliers International, a local project management firm, to create a design proposal for a community center, develop a cost estimate, hold public input sessions, and recommend next steps for the design proposal to the BOS by April 8.

The committee met with the Beach & Recreation Department to discuss having the department transfer offices to Academy and assume responsibility for the building if it were to become a community center. In addition, the Economic Development Commission, the town planner, the schools, Madison Youth & Family Services, the Arts Barn, Madison Senior Services, the Madison Art Society, the Madison Chamber of Commerce, and the Scranton Library have all approached the committee to discuss various space needs that could be solved with an Academy community center.

Additionally, the committee held several public information sessions and public hearings and floated a survey to gauge what uses the public might like to see.

What’s Possible

Committee Chair Bill Stableford said the work showed a community center to be a viable option.

“Our committee unanimously supports that the board adopts and supports the design...and budget proposal presented here,’ he said.

Stableford said the committee reached several conclusions beyond the community center feasibility; the committee’s work showed that there’s a large, unmet need for space in Madison and that a community center can be built in Academy within the $14 million budget initially pitched under a prior committee last year.

“The key phrase is our design is flexible to allow for multi-use spaces within the available design,” he said.

Representatives from Colliers and QA+M Architecture reviewed the rough designs of the building and its cost estimate. The design tries to preserve the historic nature of the building while bringing it up to code. Concept plans propose building a new atrium entrance on the west side of the building and restoring the classroom, gym, and theater spaces.

Felicia Smith of Colliers International said the current cost estimate is $13.9 million.

“The question is: Can we do it for the original $14 million proposed in the GreatBlue poll and the answer is ‘Yes,’” she said.

However, Smith said the town should be aware that the $13.9 million cost estimate has a shelf life and was built assuming industry standards on basic items—for example, the heating and cooling system doesn’t involve things like geothermal systems and solar panels.

“We did a three percent escalation assuming a 2021 breaking ground,” she said. “That price goes up every year and it is important to note that Academy is in great shape, but the building only gets more and more difficult to renovate as the years go on.”

Colliers had rough numbers regarding what it would cost to run the building. Smith said the town would need to figure out a staffing model for the building before operating costs could be fully fleshed out. Stableford said there could be some revenue generation to offset the operating cost and there’s a chance the cost of the project could come down, too.

“While we did not have the time or opportunity to actively pursue alternate sources of funding, it is possible that significant alternate funding could be gathered through state or private grants or historic tax credits or private funding,” he said.

While the committee has now technically completed its work, Stableford asked the BOS to consider keeping the committee active.

“[We] hope and plan to arrange some kind of major presentation to the public,” he said.

Selectmen seemed to support idea, but the timing is going to be interesting.

One or Two Votes

Earlier in the year, Republican selectmen pitched holding two referenda on Academy, the first a non-bonding question on this May budget ballot. Democratic members of the BOS are strongly opposed to this idea.

Selectman Bruce Wilson (R) said having a question on the ballot in May is a good way to make sure the town has the support of the broad community for a community center.

“We have a proud history of floating bonding referendums up only to see them fail and then have to scramble to regroup,” he said, giving the high school as an example. “I think when this BOS started this process, we were in danger of going down the same path.”

However, Wilson said he feels the board has listened to the public and making sure the broader voting population supports of this idea is important, too.

First Selectman Tom Banisch (R) agreed with Wilson. He said a May referendum question would give everyone a chance to be heard.

“I hear from a lot of different people and I hear a lot of different things and so I think we need to give everyone a voice and that voice isn’t always the loudest voice,” he said. “That voice is sometimes the voice that is anonymous and that is afraid to speak up in public and I think that is what we correct with the referendum—we give everyone the opportunity to have a voice.”

However, Selectman Al Goldberg (D) said trying to put an Academy question on the ballot in May doesn’t achieve anything and could very well sink the whole project.

“Why would we want to do this different than we have done in the past?” he said. “I fear if we set up a series of referenda that it looks like we the selectmen are putting our thumb on the scale and that we are trying to influence this process by erecting extra hurdles and extra steps that this project has to go through that other projects in the past had not…From what I have heard, it would be binding if it failed but not binding if it passed.”

Banisch said he thinks the May referendum question would be binding regardless of the response. Wilson said having a non-bonding question would also help the town gauge where Academy should fit in the larger bonding ask the town will have to come up with down the road to address town and school facilities.

“That bigger bonding question isn’t going to be just for this,” he said. “It’s going to be in the context of the schools and any other project that we might have, so I think for us to have a bonding question now really unwinds all of that work we have been doing to present to the town a comprehensive look at what our capital needs will be over the next 10 to 15 years.”

Selectman Scott Murphy (D) said because of all the projects on the horizon, he would rather see the BOS wait and follow the Board of Finance (BOF), a board that does not want to see Academy get out ahead of any other projects on the docket.

“I think we have a very clear indication from the public on this, so why wouldn’t we take the additional time to collaborate with the BOF and get this right and go to the public with an informed dollar amount, something they can feel comfortable about, and then vote?” he asked.

Banisch said he felt the BOF hadn’t been clear about what it wanted out of this process.

“I’d be happy to have the BOF come to the public hearings that we have,” he said. “They’ve pretty much been silent throughout this whole process and it would be fine with me and they contributed to the public hearings.”

Banisch’s comment was quickly rebuked by BOF member Judith Freidman, who attended the meeting. She pointed out that the chair of the BOF, Jean Fitzgerald, has stated publicly numerous times that the BOF does not support any project getting out ahead of another and that all upcoming capital projects need to be considered in totality.

The selectmen eventually agreed to call a special meeting on April 10 to vote on putting a question on the May ballot and tp determine what the question should be. As of press time, the special meeting date and time had not yet been formalized.