Selectmen Begin to Discuss Override for Vinson-Owen

Now that everything seems to be moving along with the Vinson-Owen project, the time is coming closer to when the town will have to decide how to fund the building.

Out of the total cost of the project, which is estimated to be around $28 million, the Massachusetts State Building Association (MSBA) will reimburse the town 40 percent of its costs. However, Winchester will need to pay for the project first before they start receiving that 40 percent reimbursement.

One of the discussions on the table would be to have a debt exclusion override, which would require a borrowing motion at the fall Town Meeting. According to Town Counsel, Wade Welch, if the Board of Selectmen want to settle the funding at Town Meeting, then there would need to be talk of a special election, which will have to occur within 90 days of the passage of the motion, putting the date sometime in February.

However, if the town wants to wait until the March elections, then there would need to be a Special Town Meeting sometime in January.

But the funding for the Vinson-Owen project is only one of the decisions the Board will have to make. At Wednesday's Selectmen's meeting, they also discussed the high school feasibility study.

According to the Board and Welch, is that they are not sure whether or not the high school can be built on its current location because it is on the flood plain.

"According to the Superintendent (William McAlduff) we can not expand on the footprint of the current school," said chair of the Board Jim Johnson. "But we have to wait for written notification on that."

Johnson explained that the MSBA will do a broad sweep of the town and look at all the open space in Winchester, and will narrow down to a specific area.

"Do we want to do a study on the same footprint," Selectman Brian O'Connor asked.

Welch explained that the town needs to find out, if they begin construction on a new high school, will they be able to expand and make it larger.