NH law RSA 33 describes the bond process in NH.

In general, the District sells municipal tax-free bonds either directly on the bond market or through an intermediary like the NH Municipal Bond Bank. Once the bonds are sold, the District is obligated to pay them back when they mature just like corporate bonds. Generally speaking, when someone refers to a “20 year bond,” it is actually separate and discrete bonds that are sold with each one expiring every year for the next 20 years. The interest rate, coupon rate, par value, etc. are determined at the time the bonds are sold.

For additional information: https://www.nhmunicipal.org/town-city-article/abcs-borrowing-municipalities

The construction costs would be funded through the sale of bonds per RSA 33. It is up to the Board to determine the length of time the bonds will be paid off. There are many variables that could affect the actual costs, and the final costs won’t be determined until bonds are actually sold. An amortization schedule and projected tax impact chart will be developed by the SAU and reviewed by the ASB and were shared with the community at the Amherst School District Deliberative. The presented plan has a 25-year period, resulting in a lower projected interest rate with an estimated savings of $14 million over the life of the loan, rather than a 30-year period as previously discussed. The bond features level-debt repayment, ensuring the yearly impact is the same for current taxpayers as well as those living in the district in the future.

The vote requires 60% voter support. 

Energy analysis will continue as the project continues. When final design and materials are selected, the estimations will be more precise. At this time, please view this deck for energy cost estimates. 

JFAC Energy 

The District and Board will need to determine a staffing strategy for the new building based on actual enrollment. Currently, the elementary school has 6-7 classroom teachers per grade and is meeting the class size goals established several years ago by the Amherst School Board. The building proposed by Banwell Architects and presented for the March 2023 bond includes 7 classrooms per grade (k-5) and 3 flexible rooms for years when an additional classroom is needed for general education space or when the enrollment population needs require flexibility in floor plans. 

A community survey conducted in 2020 found that class sizes were a strong concern among respondents. At the time, class sizes were among the highest in the state. Amherst School District has addressed staffing to meet the desired student-teacher ratio over the last four years. Since class size ratios have been addressed, additional teachers are not projected as a result of the building project.  The addition or reduction of staff will be driven by enrollment demands. Enrollment projections are steady and allow the team to feel confident in the size of the proposed project.

The building will be more energy efficient than the current Clark and Wilkins buildings. It will create an educational facility that aligns with today’s standards to house the programming of the elementary school in one building.  The increase in space will require an increase in operating budget funding for costs like heat and electricity. 

The Town of Amherst offers tax exemptions for elderly and disabled residents that are based on specific criteria determined by the Town. Information can be found at the assessing page of the town site- https://www.amherstnh.gov/assessing/pages/tax-exemption-criteria

Yes, we have applied for state building aid.

The application was deemed a priority for the Amherst School Board (ASB) and Administration.

ASB is advocating for increase in building aid with local legislative representatives

Building projects were ranked on various criteria, including: 

• Safety and Security

• Obsolete or Inefficient Conditions

• Overcrowding/Increased Enrollment

• Operational Cost Efficiency

• Maintenance Program

• District’s eligibility for Free & Reduced Meals

 Amherst’s Elementary School Project was ranked 7 out of 17

NHDOE received the largest number of applications since the building aid moratorium was lifted in 2020

This ranking from an outside source demonstrates significant need

Final Awards will be based on Ranking, State Appropriation, and Voter Approval

Funding is possible but not highly likely

To learn more about the process and timeline visit https://www.education.nh.gov/sites/g/files/ehbemt326/files/inline-documents/building-aid-process.pdf

No. Voters approve a maximum that can be spent on a bond. The school district does not receive additional funds. If additional houses are built, the additional taxpayers will share the fixed cost. The potential exists for impact fees from new developments to be collected, the fee schedule and collection is managed by the town and coordinated with the schools. 

Yes, the projects include high energy efficiency systems that meet today’s construction standards and codes for indoor air quality. These standards far exceed the requirements in place when our schools were constructed half a century ago.  

The role of construction manager is important in this process for both the district as well as the taxpayers. For the district, this firm coordinates all aspects of construction, ensures site safety, and delivers a final “guide to the building” for future usage of systems and maintenance. For the taxpayer (and the district), this firm ensures a guaranteed maximum price for construction. 

The construction manager is required to build to the budget and provide guidance to the design team and owner on how to best achieve a cost competitive facility with monies available. Before demolition or construction starts, ALL costs are fully defined and understood by all parties. 

The dollar amount on the ballot is the high water mark. In 2021, the request for proposal/qualification was completed for the architect on record and construction manager. Since then, the Board has worked closely with DEW Construction to ensure the project can be completed for the cost being presented. Director of Facilities Roger Preston has worked with DEW to ensure contingencies are included in the cost to account for increases from 2022 to 2023. DEW reported on the construction market at our January Amherst School Board meeting citing that CBRE’s new Construction Cost Index forecasts a 14.1% year-over-year increase in construction costs by year-end 2022 as labor and material costs continue to rise. Escalation should stabilize to the 2%-4% range in 2023 and 2024, on par with historical averages, and the CPI for 2023 is expected in the 3-4% range.

Should the project pass, the construction manager bids the project to subcontractors, agrees to a guaranteed maximum price and is bound to that cost. The construction schedule, preconstruction schedule, and material lead times are understood in advance with schedule contingencies. This is how all projects are managed. DEW will not start until they know the key “critical path” items are in hand.

Construction projects have varying levels of materials chosen and renovations performed. What may be considered a light renovation at one school may include painting, flooring, lighting, and ceilings. Another school’s renovation project may include replacement of HVAC units and moving load bearing walls. Because of those differences, reviewing costs of different projects is challenging.

 The costs presented below for comparison indicate Hard Construction Costs. The total cost of a project include both Hard Construction Costs, plus “Soft Costs”. Soft costs include Contingencies, Permitting Fees, Testing, Engineering and Design, Clerk of the Works / Owners Project Manager, Furnishings, Insurance, Technology infrastructure, Legal Counsel, Etc. 

AmhrestMP_Cost Calculations_DEW(.pdf)

Most school buildings are due for renovation around the 50 year mark.

Wilkins is 53 years old, AMS is 48 years old.  Both need renovation to remain in use.

The proposed Elementary Building will be constructed with durable materials with a target lifespan of 50+ years. 

Other system life spans vary: 

Roof: 30 years

MEP systems: 30 Years 

Flooring: 20 years 

In September 2018, the SAU 39 Board appointed the Joint Facilities Advisory Committee to review the school facilities in Amherst. Discussions regarding facilities have been ongoing.     

The direction from the SAU, Amherst School Board, and JFAC is to minimize the number of moves and disruptions as much as possible.  All of this is still in draft form and, should the bond pass, the next 6-12 months will be spent finalizing the design and communicating all of the finer points. 

Phase one includes building the new classroom spaces at the back of the property. Students remain in their current classrooms and schools at this time. Once the classroom portion is complete, the students would occupy those spaces. Construction will begin on the front portion of the building at that time. Two school years will see full construction. The new school would be occupied by grades prek-fifth for the 2026-2027 school year.

Should Article 12 pass, design refinement and input sessions for community, staff, administration, and board will take place over the following 10 months. Construction is expected to begin in spring 2024 with completion in time for the 2026-2027 school year. During construction, all schools will remain open, utilizing current space to avoid rental costs of portable classrooms. 

At the May 2, 2022 Amherst School Board Meeting, the Board discussed the future of the building projects. Per the minutes, “the elementary school is the priority, and the board is in agreement.” The state aid application only included the elementary project. This is in response to the bond failure. The Amherst Building & Grounds, JFAC, and Amherst School Board continue to monitor the status of the middle school and plan for addressing those issues. 

The Amherst School Board voted at their October meeting to place only the Elementary School project on the the ballot in March 2023.  This results in a reduction in cost and scope from $83.3 million to $54.2 million.  

Also at the October Amherst School Board Meeting the Board approved the expenditure of Expendable Trust Funds to be utilized to begin the design work necessary for a roof and HVAC replacement at Amherst Middle School. 

The proposed conceptual design is the result of conversations between the administration, staff, and committee with professional architect and construction management firms to ensure a facility project that meets the goals of the district. In 2018, the SAU 39 Joint Facilities Advisory Committee was appointed and tasked by the SAU 39 School Board with conducting an analysis of the state of public education facilities in Amherst. The Committee includes residents, elected officials, and SAU leadership. Their meetings have been public and findings were brought to the Amherst School Board over the last several years. 

The core community spaces will accommodate a maximum of 1,079 students. The classroom space will hold a maximum of 889 students, with room in the design for future expansion should the need ever arise. Building community core spaces slightly larger allows for future growth, planning, and expansion, if needed. This building has been designed with one eye on the present and the other on the future. It is a comprehensive and strategic design,targeted at meeting the needs of today and tomorrow.

Many of the existing systems within the current Elementary and Middle school are at, near, or have exceeded their useful life.  To simply stay in the buildings as is will require updates to major systems in the near future. These updates are costly and do not address space constraints, air quality, academic needs, or other major deficiencies of the buildings. 

• A lower development cost, avoiding costs to acquire land, construct utilities, and a year’s worth of site exploration and permitting, with a savings of approximately $3.3 million dollars.
• A new elementary school that remains in the Village.
• A new elementary school consolidated into ONE central building in the Village; resulting in cost and operational/administrative efficiencies, without significant anticipated impact to traffic. 

 The physical classroom environment will be improved greatly with a new roof and HVAC systems, providing consistent heating and cooling, greatly improved ventilation, and a dry environment.  Additionally, leaks and system failures will no longer create disruptions which lead to lost instructional time. 

Yes. The design accommodates 7 classrooms per grade plus 3 flexible classrooms located between grade levels. This will allow for flexibility when enrollment dictates the need for an additional classroom for a grade or for any other type of programming. The Joint Facilities Advisory Committee also ensured that the chosen plan would allow for future build, and additional classroom space could be constructed as second story classrooms at the front (west) of the building, if needed though professional enrollment reports do not anticipate this.

To view Amherst School Board discussion regarding enrollment, go to timestamp 3:09 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hdVtUZ6zu08

There will be several outside play spaces. Playgrounds will be located to the south of the building with nearby classroom hallway entrances. The grove area where “over the log” is played will remain. Additionally, there will be space in the back field for additional outdoor classroom spaces. 

Yes. There is asbestos in both buildings that is currently monitored annually via visual inspection and mitigated with an overlay. The proposed plan includes full asbestos removal from the elementary space that will be reused (the multi-purpose room).

School buildings often serve as the center of community life. This is especially true when a dedicated community center is unavailable, such as the case in Amherst. We are excited that the community will be able to utilize the building after school hours. The elementary building will provide several community use spaces at the front of the building accessible and separate from classroom spaces. These will include a full size gym, library/media center, and the renovated multi-purpose room with stage and mini-gym.

No. Upon discussing the project, it is clear that alleviating the traffic on Boston Post Road is essential. The loop driveway going around the elementary school will aid in traffic back up. The Jones entrance may be used at specific times for specific purposes. This serves as an exit point for buses in current conceptual renderings. 

Yes, an initial community survey was conducted in Summer 2020, yielding 1,000+ responses. Building safety and class size ratios ranked highest among survey respondent concerns.   

A survey was conducted in Spring 2022 to inform the Board and JFAC of future planning. The results of the survey were presented in May to the Amherst School Board.

Yes, planning for the future is important. The elementary school is being built to hold 1079 students in the core spaces (library, gym, cafeteria, etc) and will have 4 flexible classrooms for years when a certain grade needs another classroom teacher. The 2020 plan with a higher cost included 9 classrooms for each grade. By closely examining the program, this plan settles on 7 classrooms per grade. 

Yes. There is asbestos in both buildings that is currently monitored annually via visual inspection and mitigated with an overlay. The proposed plan includes full asbestos removal from the elementary space that will be reused (the multi-purpose room).

There have been several iterations throughout the process thus far to reach the proposed renderings we see today. In 2020, the proposed elementary school was three stories tall and was estimated to cost $66 million. The March 2022 bond will bring forth a two story elementary building at a cost of $52.2 million, with escalation the March 2023 cost is at $54.2 million.