PACPAC Meeting Minutes
Special Meeting at Mason/Motz Facility 9/17/2013
Present: Lucky D’Ascanio, Kate Harris, Dr. Dom, Matt Gilbert, Janet Lane-Dye, Daniel Smith, Mary Lou Murphy, Melanie Collins
The Portland School System is leasing Plummer from Ocean View for 10mo period for the West School which is an alternative school for students with behavioral challenges.
A shared utility agreement with OV is currently a 53%/47% split of heating, water and electrical costs up to all costs incurred last year with OV paying 100% of any costs over that amount. (Due to the Portland Public School lease which will likely incur increase costs) Melanie mentioned pellet boilers & solar hot water should be considered.
On October 16 the Town Council will meet to discuss next steps. If Motz/Mason project is under $1M then it won’t need to go to referendum. The committee discussed the importance of daytime programming space and its value.
There are some potential items to sell in the kitchen as FCP has determined that this commercial kitchen is not needed. There has been no call for use and there are many other kitchens in town (churches and schools).
The committee brainstormed uses for the kitchen space and other needs for the building:
- Turn current kitchen space into dance studio
- Gym floor needs to be redone
- Make new kitchen for staff and maybe cooking classes. maybe in the little room off the old music room
- Upgrade the locker rooms/rest rooms off the gym
- Mason Gym is not regulations size but useful for pick up basketball or fitness classes
- Storage room is useful for Parks and Rec. equipment- currently Matt takes 6-8 boxes down from 4th floor of Town Hall, with no elevator, for each sport/season
Music room –may need added ventilation – moist
Use closet for propane boiler? Or hallway near entryway
Use music room for conference room & staff kitchen
Bathrooms need to be upgraded - raise up toilets to adult height
2 rooms for karate school currently
Staff reported on current uses other than FCP use:
Book sale (Falmouth Memorial Library)
Storage
Preschool Camp & Enrichment Camps (DaVinci, Mad Science, etc. – 4 class rooms)
SAT Prep classes (rental)
Art classes
Conferences & Meetings
Gym space for rent for b-days
The committee talked about potential Programming Ideas:
-Hire after school staff for homework club.
-YMCA is very popular here – big group of kids.
-Teens & elementary. Space is large enough to separate them.
-by December the numbers drop d/t kids are overbooked with other stuff
-Vacation time needs are becoming more needed
-Teens could work for pay with younger kids after school.
- Open gym
- Drop-in scrabble
- Root beer float day
- Bridge club
- Sr. drop-in room
- Ma-Johug, quilters, knitters clubs.
- WiFi will help – can have computer classes
- Yarn spinning & pottery kilns
The committee discussed how this space relieves pressure on needs for space in other parts of town and some of the difficulties working with space at the schools because of additional custodial costs, scheduling & school policies and safety concerns. There is a security system at the Mason/Motz Facility. Not all programming will move as it does make sense for some afterschool programming to be at the elementary school for timing and ease (teachers are program leaders). If afterschool programs are at Mason/Motz, Topper West, would need to be contacted to make sure that the site could be a drop off spot for bussing . The question was asked “Does the money we take in as fees, pay for salaries, heat & utilities, janitorial?” And the short answer was no and that the town subsidizes Adult Ed &
Recreation.
We ended the brainstorming session by concluding that the bottom line is that upgrades to the infrastructure will be the bulk of any renovation and things like ADA compliance, any abatement for asbestos, sprinkling the Mason/Motz buildings will of course take precedence over cosmetic upgrades. The committee is hopeful that the town council will vote to move forward with facility assessments and cost analysis at their October 16th meeting. There are funds in the CIP for such assessments.
Submitted,
Melanie Collins
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