Fox Hill Building Committee Videos Explain Process, Rationale

The fox Hill School Building Committee has released a collection of videos designed to outline the process of rebuilding the Fox Hill Elementary School with state funding, from decision to schematic selection to design and beyond.

The short (less than 2-minute) videos are posted on the Fox Hill Building Project website and include explainers on:

• Why the Committee believes Burlington needs a new Fox Hill
• The benefits of completing this project using state money
• Why the committee decided on rebuilding the school rather than renovating or adding on
• The scope and budget for rebuilding the school, including the expected state reimbursement (around $34 million) and rebates (around $5 million)
• The consequential nature of the vote at Town Meeting in September

If you're new to learning about this project, these videos provide a surface-level summary of the project's life so far and outline, from the Building Committee's perspective, the key points.

Other news about the Fox Hill project:

• The MSBA reimbursement percentage has gone down, and eligibility for grants has gone up, and the net impact of those changes was to raise the district share by $800,000.
• Diesel generators will be allowed on site with no further action from Town Meeting. The Committee has been working with Town boards to see if a bylaw needed to be updated to allow these, but it has been determined that that won't be necessary.
• The Building Committee needs to decide whether they want to get solar panels at the time of the project or hold off and see if there is surplus budget for installing them. In parallel, they also need to decide whether to use just rooftop, rooftop and parking lot, or rooftop and parking lot with added batteries. The more extensive the project, the more expensive the up-front cost, but the greater the savings on electricity bills. The rooftop option would have about a 4.4-year payoff, while the other two would pay themselves back in about 8 years after grants and considering electricity savings. The consultants noted that purchasing the panels is a better fiscal decision for the district than leasing.

Stay tuned for more info about this project as the School Building Committee prepared to bring it before Town Meeting in September, and don't forget to watch those videos for a primer on the project and to form questions you can ask at an upcoming meeting or compel your Town Meeting representatives to ask on your behalf at Town Meeting.

For more information about the history of Burlington School Buildings, check out our in-depth report.