Scott, it has been a long time since our girls played soccer together. Thank
you for the invite for 01/07 - Do you know why the meeting is not listed on the
Framingham Meeting portal that Kathy kindly shared today?
I am indeed passionate about a project that seems so ludicrous - How can we
justify such an expense in Framingham? How can we say that the New Fuller
School got a massive support when so few people voted? Statistically it is NOT
representing what the community feels, and based on the conversations going on,
many feel a little ticked off by the outrageous cost.
Here is what I suggest if it is not too late to decrease (significantly) the
budget*:
- Send a round of invites to the FramBors/FramGov members to rally as many
volunteer experts as possible in Framingham - Engineers, Planners, Finance
Experts, Architects, Designers, who I am sure would love to help; Until now, I
had no idea we could even help or have our voices heard.- Send the documents we
need to review by then. I have read all the ones available on the website, and
a lot were redundant and/or of little "technical" value beside the engineering
studies. Are we missing any important documents not available online? I also
could not find anywhere the final square footage of the project - an important
parameter.
The MSBA will reimburse all Eligible Costs, at a Base Rate of 57.05% plus
incentive points. Based on a 145,000 sq ft projected building - Folded hands -
and adding the smaller 420-seat auditorium - I estimated about 4200 SF - we are
looking at around $670/sq ft based on a $100M project - Although I admit I do
not know if the site costs have to be included in the overall cost or not. How
do we rate in terms of costs compared to what the MSBA allows? (costs over
$333/SF are ineligible). The fact that the new Fuller School has the HIGHER %
of ineligible costs of ALL surrounding schools (32.4%) is telling me the
building/site costs are outrageous and disproportionate.
* If the process is too far down the road, I would rather respect all the
volunteer experts' time and tell them there is no need to come. I am more than
happy to attend to all the useful meetings if we have a guarantee that
something can be done to save over $10M. Please remember that like me, many of
the volunteer experts may be sole proprietors, and every hour we do not work is
an hour we do not earn. And we need to earn to pay our rising taxes!
* I can see how the "opponents" to the New Fuller project could be wrongly
categorized as "haters of Framingham South". This is not a case of North
Framingham resources versus South Framingham's, not a case of proving that the
City is taking care of the less privileged side. This is a case of applying
common sense so resources are directed to actual education of Fuller Students
rather than the construction of an OSTENTATIOUS building.
Little story: Years ago, I was in touch for months with the McAuliffe library
project team. Met one of the members few times, and after I brought some fresh
ideas on the projected plans, the director was very excited to have me on board
as a local designer and community member. After reviewing documents, visiting
the future construction site (then the demolished house and surroundings),
sketching some ideas to make the space a reflection of the community, I then
never heard back from anybody. Complete silence, no answer to email and calls.
I assumed the bureaucratic and corporate machines went on, project got awarded
to a non-local large firm with no interest in our community, and nobody needed
my local input when all I was offering was to be part of the review process to
make sure our community's richness and spirit was respected in the design.
Talking about the new McAuliffe, I used to go to the old musty McAuliffe branch
all the time. When I went back to the new branch, and was looking for
"seasonal" picks that the fantastic librarians always used to select and place
on a rusty little cart in the old branch, I was told that they were now
forbidden to do such things to not "disfigure" the place, and that the
McAuliffe library had lost its community soul. I remember saying that
contemporary design did not have to be cold and impersonal, and I was
discreetly approved by members of the staff. I love contemporary design. I am
one of the few designers outside of the 95 ring who does contemporary design.
McAuliffe's outside is spectacular and inspiring, but the inside is cold and
impersonal. If it was not for the fantastic staff and volunteer members there,
it is not a place I like to be.
Best regards,
Céline Céline Riard, IIDA Assoc.
IADT Interior Designer
M.Sc. Eng. INA-PGCEO & Principal Designer508 . 332 . 2548
www.chicredesign.com
www.houzz.com/pro/celineriard/chic-redesign
Best of Houzz since 2013
From: Scott Wadland <<email obscured>>
To: framgov@forums.e-democracy.org
Sent: Thursday, December 20, 2018 1:55 PM
Subject: Re: [FramGov] Fuller: Our chance to show our neighbors that in
Framingham, we are smart in how we spend our money and we get our priorities
right
Celine,
Given your experience and your obvious passion around this topic, I'm surprised
that we haven't seen you at any of the meetings of the Fuller School Building
Committee thus far. Perhaps you've been watching the meetings at home, but
showing up in person so you can interact with the SBC and the design team is
the best course of action if you truly want to shape how this project unfolds.
The next meeting of the SBC is on Monday, January 7th at 7pm at Fuller Middle
School. I hope you'll join us.
Scott Wadland
Framingham School Committee - District 3
Fuller Middle School Building Committee
Scott Wadland
Framingham
About/contact Scott Wadland: http://forums.e-democracy.org/p/scottwadland
Be sure to read our charter at
http://forums.e-democracy.org/groups/framgov/charter.