HOLDEN — Once the special town meeting started, it took just 15 minutes for 219 voters to hear the details of the single article and pass a motion to fund modular classrooms at Dawson Elementary School.
Finance Committee member Donna Wallace moved to take $360,000 from the general stabilization fund for the design, planning, lease, installation and related costs of the modular classrooms at Dawson.
“The Finance Committee voted to recommend this very reasonable sum now rather than waiting until the May town meeting, with a plan of getting students into the classrooms this school year,” Wallace said of the proposal before the voters gathered Oct. 16 at Wachusett Regional High School voted, exceeding the two-thirds vote needed for using stabilization funds.
Town Manager Peter Lukes said that after two additional teachers were approved in the school budget for this year, the school was left with nowhere to put two new classrooms.
Town and school combined to find “a solution that meets the needs and wants” of the students, he said.
The spending covers leasing two modulars at $3,500 a month for four years and additional costs such as ADA compliant stairs, delivery and setup, and an architect for a permanent connection plan so things can be set before next year.
“The district is in full support of this plan,” Superintendent of Schools James Reilly said. “This is a circumstance — a happy circumstance — in that we got additional teachers,” addressing the situation with some classes having in excess of 27 students.
Lukes said work on preparation for the modulars would start immediately to be ready for when the modulars arrive in several weeks, as the procurement process for government takes a while.
Next year, the goal would be to have the complete plan in place.
“I expect that we will have the kids in the new modulars sometime between Thanksgiving and Christmas,” Lukes said as he got paperwork in place several days after the meeting.
