SOUTHWICK – With the Select Board discussing replacing the Town Crier and considering other places to install programmable LED signs around town, school officials during the board’s Monday meeting said the signs would be a way to promote community involvement and improve the schools’ climate.
“One of our goals for the school year is to improve school climate. So that sign is really important for us … just for that reason alone,” said Southwick Regional School Principal Diana Bonneville, adding that there is an effort to rebrand the Rams, the district mascot.
She said the sign, especially for the schools, would be used to encourage students and celebrate their achievements, she said, using the news that Southwick girls basketball standout Avery Burkholder recently reached the 1,000 mark as an example.
“After she scored it, it took a couple days to get the sign-up. It would have been nice to have that done immediately,” Bonneville said.
That type of message for district students, their parents, and the community would demonstrate the schools’ “philosophy of our community.”
“That’s really what the message that we want to get out there,” she said.
SRS Vice Principal Christopher Barbarotta expanded on Bonneville’s message to the Select Board.
“Another thing that we are trying to do is build camaraderie with the community,” Barbarotta said.
He said the school has a new initiative called Kindness in Motion, which will ramp up in the spring. It is a program that gets students involved in the community in a meaningful way.
The sign could highlight the students’ volunteer activities.
“Whether it’s shoveling for some elderly people in their neighborhood, or going to nursing homes and playing games, or volunteering for youth organizations,” he said.
He also said a new sign at the entrance to the school or any other place one might be installed would allow SRS to announce sporting events going on that afternoon or night.
“It’s our senior night tonight for girls’ sports, and nobody knows that because we don’t really have a way to get it out to the community. If that was on [an electronic sign] today, we may have a whole different crowd going,” Barbarotta said.
He said a sign at the school could also alert parents to the MCAS or display employment opportunities.
Southwick-Tolland-Granville Regional School District School Committee member Russell Fox spoke to the benefits of a new sign.
“It’s a win-win situation for our region, schools and the town of Southwick,” Fox said.
“I mean, this is an opportunity to let people know what’s happening at our schools and get them involved, you know, get that Southwick Rams spirit going again,” he said.
He added that a sign at the school could be used to promote town events, like dates for Town Meeting and Special Town Meeting, or public service announcements from the Police and Fire departments.
How to pay for the sign/s was discussed.
Depending on size and resolution, the sign would cost anywhere from $25,000 to $70,000.
When the Town Crier sign was installed in 2013, the $20,000 cost was covered by what is called “Public, Educational and Governmental money” from franchise fees Comcast pays to Southwick to support public television, channel operations, and to purchase related capital equipment.
Select Board member Douglas Moglin said, when the board began discussing the project, that PEG money could be used to purchase the sign.
However, board member Russ Anderson said he had spoken to a Comcast official and was told the franchise fee couldn’t be used.
Fox said if PEG money was off the table, it might have to be included in capital projects in the district’s budget.
“[We could] try to do it that way, but it goes on to the tax rate. And we’re facing over a million dollars [in capital expenses] to do the boilers. So, it’d just be one more thing,” Fox said, adding later that if it were a capital request for the district budget, Tolland and Granville Town Meeting would have to approve it.
Bonneville asked if the district could fund half of the cost, asking if the town would be willing to cover the balance. No one responded to her proposal.
Anderson said that a company was scheduled to provide an estimate of the cost, including installing one at Town Hall, replacing the Town Crier, one at the entrance to SRS, and possibly one at the public library.
“We could tie them all together through the internet or PC, or cloud or whatever, and have multiple messages everywhere, because as a board, we recognize that communication is pretty weak to the community,” he said.
Board member Diane Gale suggested one be installed at the intersection of Congamond Road and College Highway.
“I think at the other end of town, there’s a good opportunity for another sign as well … there’s a lot of traffic in and out,” she said.
The board plans to discuss the proposed project after it gets the cost estimates from the company Anderson referred to earlier in the meeting.
