AMHERST — Another $1.6 million that would go toward replacing the Amherst Regional Middle School auditorium roof, supplementing a $9.83 million project for the remainder of the building’s roof, is being endorsed by the Regional School Committee.
The Regional School Committee this week agreed to respond favorably to a request from the Amherst Finance Committee, whose members are mulling whether to recommend using free cash to add the auditorium roof to the project that is supported by the Massachusetts School Building Authority and expected to be complete over the summer.
“Assuming that the school key staff and Regional School Committee perceive the auditorium roof as a high priority if funds were available, the Finance Committee discussed information that would be needed to document and determine the urgency in order to provide a rationale for Amherst to consider augmenting the funding,” the memo reads.
The project was approved by the state agency, and made eligible for a nearly 62% reimbursement, though the roof over the auditorium isn’t considered old enough to do at the same time. The rest of the roof, though, will be rehabilitated, including the sections over the gym and classrooms, where tiles have periodically fallen, as well as the library, where buckets are set up to collect leaks.
The building houses seventh and eighth graders from Amherst, Leverett, Shutesbury and Pelham, and in the fall will be used for the Chestnut Street Academy, Amherst’s sixth-grade program.
While the other three towns could be asked to cover this added cost, they couldn’t make appropriations until their Town Meetings in the spring, meaning Amherst would at least initially absorb the full cost for the auditorium.
The unanimous vote by the committee came in response to the memo, sent both to the committee and Superintendent E. Xiomara Herman, requesting various information, including the so-called Gale report from 2022 that examined the auditorium roof, the extent of any repairs done since that time, whether the roof is leaking or causing other issues in that space, such as damaged ceiling tiles or chairs and the urgency of the repair based on staff opinion.
That all is due by Feb. 2, which Herman said would be accomplished. “It’s already in the works to meet the deadline of the 2nd,” Herman said.
Herman said the work orders and information will be attached to a committee memo that will be drafted by Committee Chairwoman Sarahbess Kenney.
“This is a generous potential offer,” said Amherst representative Sarah Marshall. “I would want to take advantage of this.”
Leverett representative Tim Shores said he appreciates that Herman and Executive Director of Finance & Operations Shannon Bernacchia are focused on capital needs of the regional school buildings, and that having the auditorium roof done could provide a way for having solar put on the building.
Amherst representative Bridget Hynes said her only concern is that the committee should explore free cash as a means of dealing with other capital needs at the school, in a year when significant cuts may happen due to operating budget shortfalls.
“Are there other things we can request from free cash, as a committee, that would defer from our operating budget or decrease our operating budget?” Hynes said.
While it’s a gift, Amherst representative Deb Leonard said the various programs and staff could be badly affected by the operating budget, and that it’s hard to contextualize the capital needs versus this spending.
“Thank you to the town for making this offer,” Leonard said.