For Immediate Release

Monday, Feb. 25, 2019

Media Contact: John Guilfoil
Phone: 978-841-9948
Email: [email protected]

Maynard Launches Website, New Committee for Future of Green Meadow Elementary School

Residents Encouraged to Visit and Join

MAYNARD — Superintendent of Schools Robert Gerardi announces that the Maynard Public Schools has launched a new initiative of public information and public input regarding the ongoing work and future of the Green Meadow Elementary School.

Today, residents and those interested in learning more about Green Meadow can visit greenmeadowfuture.com. The website will be updated several times per week and it will include photos, videos, test results, public documents, news posts, upcoming events, and a layout of Maynard’s plan for the school today and tomorrow.

“I am tremendously moved by not only the level of concern shown by faculty and families in Maynard but also the support and spirit of volunteerism to which this situation has given rise,” Superintendent Gerardi said. “We have also heard the strong feedback from the public that our residents want and deserve a central point of communication, and I am proud to announce this new communications portal as a way of providing official, timely, clear and accurate information to the public as we receive it.”

The website contains all testing result documents for the Green Meadow, going back to 2008. The site also contains a news blog that is connected to the district and town social media channels, and anyone can enter their email address to be notified of updates. Every time a new post is added to the website, it will automatically broadcast on social media and send an alert email to subscribers.

Call for Committee Membership 

With the launch of GreenMeadowFuture.com, the town and school district are also calling for citizens to join the Green Meadow Future Committee. The committee will be made up of school district administration, DPW, town administrator’s office, the school committee and members of the public. It will also serve as the Green Meadow Building Committee as the district moves forward with the 2019 MSBA school building process, so the committee is expected to play a major role in the future of elementary education in Maynard.

“I remain committed to ensuring the health and safety of our students, faculty and staff in the present and into the future. This remediation process, and securing a new building, are part of the steps necessary to ensuring that goal so that our children can receive a world class education in the Maynard Public Schools,” said Justin Hemm, chair of the Maynard School Committee. “This new information portal and the Green Meadow Future Committee are two ways that we can show our commitment to transparency and inclusiveness in both words and actions, and I believe these two items will help move our community forward in a big way.”

To join the committee, visit https://greenmeadowfuture.com/committee/join/.

The presence of asbestos is not a new discovery at Green Meadow — the building was built in 1955, and like nearly all buildings of the era, it contains asbestos building materials. Concern arose in the past year when a roof leak caused an old ceiling tile to fall in a classroom. Environmental contractors have reported that the ceiling tiles do not contain “friable” asbestos that can get into the air. Nonetheless, the district, faculty and public have been moved to action. The age of the building and presence of roof leaks has also raised concerns about possible mold growth in the building. Earlier this month,  Superintendent Gerardi announced the temporary closure of the old wing of the Green Meadow Elementary School for the remainder of the school year so that a licensed environmental contractor can completely remove old asbestos building materials. Aggressive work was also conducted over February vacation to replace ceilings in other portions of the school and perform industry-standard cleaning operations on the school, which were reviewed and approved by the state. The building re-opened today and the old wing will re-open in September, following the work and final tests.

The Massachusetts Department of Labor Standards today approved the opening of Green Meadow School. Teachers welcomed students back from February break, and some students are using new temporary classrooms as teachers, administrators, staff and volunteers worked through the week to prepare spaces for use for the rest of the year.

To view a video of the Green Meadow principals showing families and community members the new classrooms, click here and scroll to the bottom.

The website and Green Meadow Future logo were designed by John Guilfoil Public Relations LLC of Georgetown, a longstanding town vendor which also designed and hosts the Maynard Town Administrator’s website and the websites of the Maynard Police and Fire departments. It was designed using the WordPress software and works on all mobile devices.

###