No Building Committee for Seekonk

Plans for a town-wide building infrastructure committee have fallen apart.

Last month, the Select Board and the School Committee met for the purpose of establishing a five member ad hoc committee to make recommendations on repairs to town buildings, including schools.

One member would have represented the Select Board, one from the school committee, one from the finance committee, one from the Capital Improvement Committee, and one town resident.

Select Board Chair Michelle Hines believed the committee should focus on all town buildings, not just the schools. “We need to have a committee together to prioritize all those issues,” Hines said on February 5. Hines called for someone from the Select Board to volunteer to serve on the ad hoc committee. No one raised their hand.

Seekonk School officials warned of a failure of the heating system at Hurley Middle School in a joint meeting with the Select Board on January 6. Over $106,000 has been spent to patch the Hurley boiler since last July.

“What is the long term goal of that school?” member Michael Healy asked. “What is the school committee and the school department’s direction with their long term plan? Is it just to fix the heating system? I think we need to have a better plan. I think we need to have some hard discussions among all committees.”

School Superintendent Rebecca Kidwell said she “looked forward to working with the (school) committee and the town to find a viable solution.”

“I want to clarify that when we initially discussed how to address the heating needs at HMS with Chairwoman Hines and (Town Administrator Shawn) Cadime, we collaboratively felt it would be beneficial to have Board of Selectmen representatives participate to ensure alignment and transparency between both boards,” School Committee Chair Meaghan Mahoney said via-email on Friday. “There seems to have been some misunderstanding regarding the purpose of this committee and as it appears there was a perception that the ad hoc committee's scope could extend to all town buildings; however, that responsibility lies with the current Capital Improvement Committee.”

Mahoney explained the School Committee has conducted several feasibility studies and recently voted for the Superintendent to submit a Statement of Interest. 

“Moving forward, we are committed to continue to collaborate closely with the Superintendent and staff to chart an effective course of action, as we recognize the urgency of the situation,” Mahoney added. “Our goal has always been to work together to find the best path forward for the town.”