Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What's Next?

The project, beginning in the spring of 2023, after hearing from the community that the cost estimates were too high to rebuild the project, went on hold. Since then the MTSD Board of Trustees facilities committee has reviewed the facilities evaluation plan and identified the stabilization projects to keep the building functioning and operating safely for our students, faculty, and staff.

What is the Herrick Project?

The Milton Town School District ( MTSD), in partnership with TruexCullins, is seeking community members to serve on the MTSD Herrick Project Committee. This committee is being formed to address the Herrick Avenue facility deficiencies that came to light during the MTSD Master Facilities Evaluation, including aging infrastructure and aspects of the design that are incompatible with current building security and educational programming needs.

Who is Truexcullins?

MTSD Board of Trustees has contracted with Truexcullins of Burlington to conduct a facilities master planning process. In part, Truexcullins was selected because they use a research-based approach to educational facilities. Their field of focus is in educational architecture and 21 C. learning that embraces a whole child philosophy. For them, this means creating schools that foster learning, wellness, and engagement.

Why the Herrick Avenue facilities/schools?

Truexcullins provided an assessment and report (facilities evaluation) regarding the current state of the MTSD schools. The Herrick Project committee found the Herrick Avenue facilities to have the greatest need for improvement.

Herrick Avenue facilities are in the most urgent need of improvement within our district. Compared to the state's average, these facilities have exceeded the typical age, with the first phase dating back to 1954, seven years older than the Vermont average. Furthermore, the last addition was made in 1996, making it four years older than the state average. Remarkably, no part of the building has undergone a modernization or renovation plan, and wear and tear are noticeable.

What is the maintenance plan at Herrick Schools?

It's the community's perception that the Herrick Facility has not been properly maintained and if it had, then a major scale project would not be necessary. This is simply not true. The Herrick facilities are fully maintained and everything is in working order. The Maintenance Plan includes:

An annual preventative maintenance plan
Day to day fixes - these range from leaky faucets and broken soap dispensers to ventilation operations (student dropping paperclips down the vents…) or other classroom utility malfunctions, window and door issues…
Unanticipated safety repairs or remediation - i.e basketball hoops, mold…

Additionally, in the last 5 years, the District has also completed major projects to support both the operations and educational programming of the Herrick, including:

2 new Rooftop Air Handlers to support MES section of Herrick
New Electrical panels in the Elementary school to support new split A/C units.
New fire panels to support the Herrick Ave building.
5 New 5th grade remodeled classrooms (Bond)
2 new burners for the gas boiler that support Herrick Ave.
Several New Floors
Several new exterior /interior doors.
12 New A/C split units for classrooms.
All new electrical fixtures for the middle school science room.
Remodeled 2 new principals’ offices for the Middle School.
Install A/C in middle school principal's offices
On going installation of LED lighting on the second floor of the Middle School.
Built 2 new offices at the Elementary school.
Installed all new drinking fountains in the building.
New Dishwasher in the kitchen.
Re-Keyed the whole building.
On going several roof repairs have been made.
New intercom system throughout the building.

Why does the Herrick Schools require renovation or replacement?

End of life utility of the infrastructure - the full list is outlined in the Herrick Facilities Evaluation; however, the greatest end of life utilities include the roof; underground plumbing; windows, floors and casings; heating and ventilation controls. {Link in facilities evaluation.}
Moisture continues to be an issue throughout the entire Herrick facility. The slab was poured directly into the ground and despite on-going mitigation efforts, the moisture results in slippery floors, mold growth in ceilings and walls, and fluctuating air and temperature conditions.
Educational needs - the shape and space of the facility no longer meets the needs of the types of educational programming we provide. Below are just a few examples.

Utility spaces for health services and technology are not sufficient.
Educational spaces for PreK and Kindergarten do not allow for the type of interactive play and programming required
Office and learning intervention spaces are carved out of larger spaces and thus not adequate in size or equipped with proper lighting and ventilation
Existing space does not allow for current day programming in the areas of art, digital media studies, or innovation (maker spaces)
The new fitness center in the middle school is in the Drama room. Not only is the size and ventilation inadequate it also displaces the drama programming to a lesser, shared space.

What is the status of PCB Testing?

What will the High School’s future needs be?

How will the project be funded?

What’s the relationship between a bond vote & income sensitivity?

A Bond would increase many resident’s property taxes, but that depends on your household income. If your income is lower than $99,000 you will likely not see much of an increase, or none. If you income is between $99,000 and $134,800 you will likely have an increase but will also get some income sensitivity relief. If your income is above $134,800, it’s likely that you would not get any relief. Please note that new dollar levels will likely be announced this December.

What is the bond term?

What are the existing bonds of the district?

How will this project benefit our students?

Students will benefit from a learning design that creates smaller communities within the larger building. The optimum school size for an elementary school is 250 students - we have just over 600. For a middle school, it is 450-600 broken out into team areas of approximately 100. The current design in both our elementary and middle school is a factory model with long, bustling hallways. The facility is noisy, crowded and overwhelming to many students. This type of environment also lends itself to increased behavioral issues, absenteeism, and distractions in teaching and learning.

Students will benefit from a design and program that meets their needs - including spaces for STEAM education, intervention spaces, ADA compliance, classrooms that accommodate flexible groupings, and community spaces.

How will this project benefit the community?

The community benefits in numerous ways. First, the community’s greatest investment - the education of youth, has a higher quality, more adaptable learning environment to meet the needs of all students. A well-educated population contributes to the success and vibrancy of the entire community. This in turn attracts new families and businesses. Likewise, it contributes to staff satisfaction and longevity.

Will there be disruptions to classes, education, learning, etc.?

In the initial survey, the community emphasized minimizing disruptions to student learning as one of the top 3 priorities. In the case of a renovation project, classrooms would need to move several times as the project advances;, this would impact students.

A new building would not impact student learning. Students would remain in the current space and once the new building is completed, a one time move would occur. The only necessary adjustment would involve temporarily relocating sports activities from the Middle School field to the High School.

How can community members get involved or provide input on the project?

What will happen if the project is not approved?

A failure to pass the bond vote would mean the continued use of the existing facility. Administration and the Board would then begin the process of figuring out a 5-10 year plan to upgrade existing structures, including how to fund it. In this scenario, it is unlikely that any necessary changes (renovations) to the educational space could occur.

Postponing any project increases the risk for major systems’ failure without financial support. Postponing also further impacts project cost as prices continue to increase.

Will the community have a chance to see the project plans or designs?

Why can’t we have a multi-story building?

Will there be any environmentally friendly or sustainable aspects to the project?

Status of Legislation to reintroduce school construction aid?

The State of Vermont has formed a Joint Task Force on School Construction Aid to evaluate the needs of schools throughout the state and how funding can be set up to assist with renovations and replacements.

The task force’s current agenda is to:

review the results of the statewide school facilities inventory and conditions assessment and the school construction funding report required by Act 72 (2021)
study issues relating to school construction aid, including:
- the needs, both programmatic and health and safety, of statewide school construction projects;
- funding options for a statewide school construction program and criteria for prioritizing school construction funding; and
- the appropriate state action level for response to PCB contamination in a school.