Middle school plans clogged by a sewer-based Catch-22.
By: David Koch
MANSFIELD Construction of Northern Burlington Regional’s new middle school could be delayed by a bureaucratic Catch-22.
The state Department of Education won’t allow the school district to purchase the 54-acre site on Mansfield Road until the district receives sewer approval from the state Department of Environmental Protection.
But due to state zoning guidelines designed to protect farmland, the DEP won’t give the school district sewer approval until it has purchased the land.
"We have moved significantly forward with the Township Committee’s approval," James Sarruda, superintendent of Northern Burlington Regional schools, said Wednesday.
The Mansfield Township Committee last week approved construction of the sewer lines for both the middle school and the new upper elementary school planned for a 30-acre site at the corner of Island and Mansfield roads. The Mansfield School District owns the upper elementary school site but awaits DEP approval for the sewer lines.
"I’m hoping we’re going to move quickly on this process," said Dr. Sarruda. "They (the Department of Education) have considered the extenuating circumstances, and are considering alternative measures to move the process forward."
Although the school district has made progress with the Department of Education, the DEP has given the district another condition to meet. DEP officials want assurance that the construction of new schools and sewer lines won’t lead to the development of surrounding properties, Dr. Sarruda said.
"The DEP has said we’re not going to give you property until you secure adjacent property from construction," he said.
Dr. Sarruda said he and Mansfield Superintendent Joseph Bruni will meet with DEP Commissioner Robert Shinn on May 10 to discuss the situation.
Dr. Sarruda said he hopes the DEP’s concern about development won’t delay school construction.
"We need to make sure we continue forward on a timeline," he said.
Dr. Sarruda said he hopes that construction of the middle school can begin by next spring. A July 2003 opening is anticipated. Construction of the upper elementary school is expected to begin in January 2002, according to Karen Bailey, Mansfield school board business administrator.
Meanwhile, overcrowding continues to be a problem at Northern Burlington Regional. The school board Monday voted to seek bids for five more trailers to serve as classrooms.
Two trailers will be added to the middle school by the end of this school year, said Craig Wilkie, school board business administrator. A total of $350,000 is allocated in the budget for their purchase, he said. Each trailer can hold about 25 students.