AI-generated transcript of Medford Happenings Episode 38 Jenny Graham

[John Petrella]: Hello, everyone, and welcome to Method Happenings, a show for and about the city of Medford, and I am John Petrella. And the purpose of this program is to give Medford citizens facts and information to help you make informed choices and to discover city services or businesses you may not have been aware of. And our guest today is Jenny Graham, who is the vice chair of the Medford School Committee and also the chair of the Medford High School Project. I want to welcome you to the show, Jenny. Thanks for having me. And I want to thank you for your leadership and efforts on this project. Thank you so much.

[Jenny Graham]: Yeah, thank you. Thanks for having me. I'm excited to be here.

[John Petrella]: Okay, we're gonna get right into it, all right?

[Jenny Graham]: I know you have a lot of questions for me.

[John Petrella]: Yes, yeah, we do, Jenny, we do. So most people know you as a member of the school committee, and now the person heading up the high school project. You got a lot on your plate. But can you share a little more about yourself with our listeners? You know, who is Jenny Graham? Sure.

[Jenny Graham]: First and foremost, I'm a mom and a wife. My family doesn't see much of me right now, but they still do mostly remember what I look like. I have two kids. They both are at Medford High. Lila is a junior, so she's going to be thinking about what's next soon here. And then Lucas is a freshman. So we've been in Medford for 20 years. And I grew up in Southeastern Massachusetts down in a teeny tiny town that didn't have a Stoplight or a Dunkin' Donuts near Fall River and New Medford.

[Unidentified]: That sounds sad.

[Jenny Graham]: Right? They have both now. It's grown considerably. But I also own a business. I'm the CEO of a growing consulting firm. Nice. We do operations improvement, change management, and learning programs for corporations, lots of healthcare companies, and actually lots of work in state and federal government.

[John Petrella]: You got a full plate. That's what we call it. Very full.

[Jenny Graham]: Wow.

[John Petrella]: And you took on this. This is great. All right. So, you know, the High School Project Committee was created about three years ago. Can you update some of our listeners on what the committee you know, has completed so far. Sure. And, you know, what project milestones do you see still need to be addressed?

[Jenny Graham]: Sure. So we were invited into what they called the feasibility, the feasibility, the eligibility phase, right? So the MSBA puts out annual applications and we were selected in December of 23. So, In 2024, we formed the committee and we started the eligibility phase, about three to five choices. And then the rest of the feasibility study will be diving deep on those three to five choices. So if you look up on the go through these slides, what you'll see is there's like sort of bigger blowups of each of those things. So there's many, many, many options. Our site's really complicated because we have a giant building right now. So it's a big site, but because we're going to build right back here, we have to think about how do we educate students while we're disrupting the apple cart, so to speak. So all of that is happening in feasibility. just recently the reason that we're moving pretty quickly right like if you look from one to the next to the next to the next you can see a pattern but it's going to take some work so we'll get down to three to five and then by june we will select a single option okay the msba will have to agree with that option along the way they'll give us feedback about our educational plan and our choices and what they think is ideal And then once they approve our submission of that single choice, then we'll dive deep into that choice, right? So this next part of feasibility gets us a little bit deeper on three to five. And then once we pick one, then we go real deep, right? And that and that is what ultimately leads to like construction documents and real costs and real reimbursement and all of that good stuff. So all of that to come. But right now, we're in this, like, we have options phase.

[John Petrella]: Right. Yeah. Well, that's a good thing. That was a great answer, by the way. Thanks. A lot of information in there. Thanks. All right, this next question, it's kind of a long one. All right. So, a school building can be considered a tool, and always with the goal of providing an environment that supports the education of students. So, I guess, how will we know what we are getting for an investment of, you know, I don't know, between 700 and a billion dollars, I guess, 700 million to a billion. And, you know, will it be merging with the vocational high school curriculums together? you know, improvement in educational outcomes, math, reading, comprehension, history. Are there other metrics that you consider?

[Jenny Graham]: I know it's a lot for one question, but... I'm going to take a shot at it, and at the end, you can tell me if I missed anything. Okay, good. So I think the first thing is, this is more than a high school, right? Like, this building, even today, is more than a high school. And you know that if you come here on a Saturday, We're sitting in a studio that supports local access programming. That is not part, you don't go to school here, I don't go to school here, here we are. There's a whole bunch of things that happen in this building and that will continue to be true. So a couple things about this project. Yes, it's a high school. Yes, it's a combined comprehensive and vocational high school. It is also our district wide welcome center. It's the home of the Medford Family Network. It's the home of our municipal daycare. It's the home of our central administration for the schools. It's the home of like a huge like source of field playing space in the city, right? And it's like a community hub. You see that anytime you're here on the weekend, right? All of those things are happening. In addition to all of that, this project is also looking to bring students who currently go to Curtis Tufts onto the campus in a specialized component of the building that meets their programming needs. but gives them access to be part of this community, which is really hard for them to do right now because they have to come from clear across the city, right? So that they will come onto campus. The other thing that we intend to bring onto the campus is all of our pre-K programs, which right now are sort of scattered. like all across the city. Yeah. And you probably have heard people say our elementary schools are busting at the seams, right? So I've heard that you've heard that. So this project also solves that problem. So this project, what it will do is it will bring all of those programs, all those pre K programs into one place, which is better for programming and access to staff and services for the for our pre case, right for our littles. And it will create space in our elementary schools that they need in order to continue to support students, right? So I think of this project, it's much more than a high school, obviously it is a high school, but it's also a project that will prevent the city from having to do many more other projects once we're done with this, right? Because we won't be saying, gee, the Roberts is busting at the seams, we need to expand it. Gee, the Missittuck is busting at the seams, we need to expand it, right? We're pushing that off in a significant way by the strategic choices that we've made to try to bring those things here on this campus.

[John Petrella]: So you're gonna give yourself more room in those schools by, okay.

[Jenny Graham]: Yeah, that's part of the plan. Okay, so that's the first thing. This is more than a high school. In terms of metrics, right, like there's, you know, I have a degree in finance from Babson, so I like metrics, I like numbers, I like ROIs, right? Okay. Education is something more than just that which can be measured, right? Like it's the foundation of our democracy and it's like the place where you get to send your kids so they can have a better life than you got to have, right? And so it's the beginning of all of that. And it's arguably the biggest thing the city does for its residents. So there's a million reasons that are foundational and hard to measure. to invest in schools. But also, schools are a huge investment, right? There's lots and lots of money that is spent on school and education, right? It's the biggest part of our budget. So it is the biggest part of our budget. And so some of the things that I think about, like how will we know this worked, it'll be a couple of things, right? The number of space heaters in the building, zero. The number of bootleg air conditioners, also zero, right? Our monthly utility bills from mid-January to mid-February were $162,000 for this building. Not for the district, but this building. So all of those things have an opportunity to get better. Our energy consciousness, our spending, all of those things change when you bring in a new building. But I think the other thing that's going to happen as we do this, yes, the vocational programs will continue to be integrated. We're doing a lot of that work already and not waiting for the building. But what will have to wait for the building is some of the new programming, where there's lots of demand, and expanding the programs we have so we can reduce the wait list and give the kids the education that they want, right? But more, as importantly, when we talk about educational outcome, right? One of the things that we did when we started the educational planning work in this phase is we had a multi-day meeting. We had teachers, students, administrators, everybody in a room. And it was really fascinating to listen to the students because they said things like, I take a break in every class and we're like, why is that? I just need a break. Okay, I can kind of get that. Well, I don't take a break in my CTE classes. Well, why not? I don't want to miss anything. And what came from that as we sort of poked and pushed, right, was Our students want to know why they're learning things. They want the learning to be tangible. They wanna understand how they'll use it. And they wanna be able to experience it. And a lot of what happens in our building right now is kind of inhibited from being able to do that. Because our classrooms are smaller than what a typical classroom is, what MSBA wants us to build. Our science labs are too small to meet safety standards. Our CTE spaces are not big enough. So all of these things, like we're sort of maximizing everything we can right now, and this building gives us a chance to sort of do better than that, right? Do better than doing more with less. But I think in providing that extra space, it's going to allow the freedom for teachers to really get into that experiential part of learning, which is the future. Like, you know, in the future, like, I remember them saying, well, you're not always going to have a calculator in your pocket, right? Well, guess what, folks, we do now. So part of the future is not about memorizing, you know, facts and figures. It's about critical thinking. It's about learning to work together. All of that is really hard to do in a space that's not built for that. And so for me, the educational outcomes and the improvement are gonna come for two reasons. One, because the central office team is dedicated to that, and two, because we don't, we're making it easier for everybody to do the things that are going to sort of generate that improvement.

[John Petrella]: Right, yeah. No, I understand, yeah.

[Jenny Graham]: How'd I do? It's important.

[John Petrella]: You did good. Okay, all right. I mean, to me, the education, you know what these kids it's it's about the kids and I know you you know yeah you agree with that yeah and and the answer you know took that into consideration the other thing I'll mention just before we move on is there is a cost of doing nothing right and

[Jenny Graham]: I always thought that would be a big number. But now we know what the number is like the cost of simply bringing this building up to code and doing nothing else about the education that I was just talking about. Yeah, I is $438 million. Okay. And the MSBA will not pay for one penny of that. So so if we were to choose that option, right, we're on our own. Right. $438 million.

[John Petrella]: Not good.

[Jenny Graham]: That's not how I want to spend $438 million anyway. No, I know.

[John Petrella]: It's a tough situation. It really is. We need a new school. And I'll say it a million times, no one's going to disagree with that. It's what are we going to do, how are we going to get there, what works for everybody. I agree. And the biggest thing is about the kids. And I don't want to get personal, but when I went to school, Okay, you couldn't get me out of my history class. I could have went to school and just done history all day long.

[Jenny Graham]: All right, all right.

[John Petrella]: That's just how I was, but I mean, you know. I think sometimes if kids really want to learn.

[Jenny Graham]: Absolutely.

[John Petrella]: They'll learn.

[Jenny Graham]: Yeah, absolutely.

[John Petrella]: And there's always going to be like, that was my thing, my favorite class. I wouldn't miss a history class.

[Jenny Graham]: Well, and I think the goal of education, right, is that every kid can find their thing.

[Unidentified]: Correct.

[Jenny Graham]: For you, it was history class, right? Like, for my kids, they're both in the robotics and engineering program. That's their thing. Like, I had lunch at the bistro, like, on Friday. Culinary is the thing for some kids. Like, you have to want to belong. You have to want to be here, and you have to feel like you belong.

[John Petrella]: We did a program on the vocational school.

[Jenny Graham]: Yeah, yeah, it's great.

[John Petrella]: And it's amazing. I didn't know there was a wait list, but I know everything that's going on over there. It's incredible. They're doing a great job. All right, what's next? Yeah, you covered everything. You didn't miss anything.

[Jenny Graham]: All right.

[John Petrella]: Perfect. So let's move on. Another interesting question. This, like you said, this is more about the project. So, you know, what is included in the dollar amount of this project? I mean, is it just materials and labor for the building? You know, does it include Uh, temporary student classrooms, I imagine we need to put them somewhere when we're doing whatever, uh, the construction. Um, you know, the cost of change orders, the cost of the interest, uh, on a 30-year bond, uh, bond rather. Um, you know, is there provisions? I know this is like, but is there pre- pre- provisions for an adjustment to the teacher's, uh, union contract? I mean, is everything in that- that...

[Jenny Graham]: yes no not exactly okay all right so let's let's break it down thank you the total project cost includes construction materials labor escalation okay so they are talking about like how long is this project going to take and what does the escalation trend mean for what materials will cost okay Contingency is built into that total project number, right? If modular classrooms are needed for a particular design, that's also included. So the numbers you're seeing right now are largely based on like a couple, very small number of variables, right? Square footage. complexity of like of like the construction what you're building that's that's kind of it right now okay once as we go forward those numbers will be refined um and i they're conservative right now because there's so many things we don't know so those will continue to be refined and i hope we'll see them kind of come down for lots of reasons right um so all of that is included in the total project cost number that you're seeing The interest conversation about the bond that the city will need to take out in order to pay for the project, that is not in this number. Where that comes in is, and maybe we'll talk about this a little bit later, when you talk about the total project cost, the MSBA will pay for their share of the project, and then the city will have to decide how they're gonna pay for the rest. And we will need a bond. Right? And there will be a debt exclusion. How big, how small, different conversation completely. But when that number becomes clear, right? How much will the city pay? Then you can start to like build calculators and look at things like with this and what's going on in the market with bond rates and our bond rating. Then you can assess the interest and then you can say, this is what this is going to cost a resident who lives in an average single family home or whatever. So interest is not in that number and that will come as part of that tax calculation. And then the third thing you talked about was adjustment to the teacher's contract. There's nothing in the teacher's contract that I read that will necessitate change to their contract for this new building. And I was part of the negotiating team that did their contract last year, so I've read all like 80 some odd pages of that contract in painstaking detail. So no, there is not a provision for that in this number, but also I don't see that that's something that we need to be overly concerned about. The operating costs of the building are something we'll get to know a lot more about coming up, but that obviously has an impact on the budget. Like if we didn't have to spend $164,000 on utilities every month, that would be good news, right? So all of those things, all of those refinements that will actually be part of the operating budget are yet to come.

[John Petrella]: So there's a lot of things. Yeah. Obviously, you can't have the numbers, right?

[Jenny Graham]: The financial picture is like, muddy right now, right? Right. And complicated, even when it's not muddy. So I think that's like, trying to break that down. So people understand, like, I know that sort of everyone wants to know, like, what will this cost me? And the answer is, we just don't know yet.

[John Petrella]: Yeah, that's what I thought. Yeah. All right. Well, I mean, you covered everything on that one, too. I mean, uh, Incredible, how you're answering them, so.

[Jenny Graham]: What else do you have for me?

[John Petrella]: Well, here's the other one, okay?

[Jenny Graham]: Yeah, let's do it.

[John Petrella]: Yeah, all right, so I'm gonna say we have heard, but I'm gonna start off what I have heard, I don't know. The Mass Building Authority, okay, from what I understand, will reimburse the city for up to 53%. of approved new build and approved renovation costs. Can you walk us through how the, you know, the Massachusetts School Building Authority, which is the MSBA, I mean, how do they determine? To me, that's like, it's a big one. How do they determine, I know it's complicated, but how do they determine the final amount uh... of the reimbursement to us and and you know when when will we know when where we stand on that jen is it you know is that

[Jenny Graham]: All right, I'm gonna I'm gonna try to break this down. Bear with me. Okay. First of all, it's not exactly true that they'll reimburse 53%. Okay. Okay. The first thing is, we actually don't know what they'll reimburse. Okay, yep. So that that number, though, is the number that they are reimbursing us for the feasibility phase. So the work that we're doing right now, the money we're paying the architect to design this building and our OPM, right. they're paying 53% of those costs, right?

[John Petrella]: Okay.

[Jenny Graham]: So that 53% takes us through the feasibility and schematic design phases. We don't yet know what the construction number will be, but their formula for that is set out in state law so that it's clear to everybody. So there's sort of a base percent that every community that builds with them gets, regardless. And then there's like an ability to pay component of this that adds two, right? So we take the base and then we add to based on ability to pay, which is based on community income, property wealth, and a community poverty factor. So all three of those things shift that base rate, right? With the idea being that if you are a community who can afford to pay for your own building, they want you to do that. Because what they want, what the MSBA wants to do is make sure that they're also supporting communities that can't afford to pay, right? Yeah, makes sense. So that collaborative, that sort of collaborative number gets us to another number, right? That's what the 53% is roughly about. The 53% was that calculation when we set the feasibility study number. We have other projects going on with MSBA, and that same number is actually slightly higher on those other projects based on the same formula, but things change. So all of that will be recalculated. and then you can earn incentive points. And so the MSBA says there are things that they want to encourage people to do and they will provide additional points. So I think like the easiest one to understand is they gave us this huge survey back in eligibility about our maintenance practices. They want to know that we'll maintain this thing when it's done, right? And we answered like, I don't know, 40 or 50 questions. We had to provide them documentation and job descriptions and all kinds of things. Based on all of that, we can earn up to two percentage points. And there's like a whole rubric about how that happens. But there's like five or six reasons why you can earn incentive points. So all of that also goes in. Then they get a number, which they'll tell us about specifically like next year at this time. that number, whatever it is, hopefully higher than 53%, is then applied to the portions of the building that they will cost share in. So they also have rules about what they will pay for. And the easiest example is they will not pay for a pool. So if we want to renovate our pool, if we want to build a new pool, We can do all of those things in various ways, but they will not cost share. So they'll take the total project cost and they'll basically split it and say these are the things we'll pay for and these are the things we won't. Medford pays for all of these things. These are the things we'll apply that number to. All of that is like February, March next year is when we'll know all of that.

[John Petrella]: You broke that down nice and simple.

[Jenny Graham]: I like that. Very nice. But, oh, one more thing. Once that happens, right, We will then know like what's Medford's number. And then from that number, the city then will need to say, how will we pay for that?

[Unidentified]: Okay.

[Jenny Graham]: And so when you talk about what that could look like, yes, there will be a debt exclusion. But what else are we paying right now that's going to roll off our bond service? So for example, let's say we're paying $2 million a year in a bond and interest for another building. And that finishes three years in. Can we assume that we will roll that payment into this and take down the amount that we need to raise for this project? or we're gonna put up a big development in Medford Square, some portion of that can be attributable to paying for this project. So the city is doing a lot of work right now to sort of get ready for those conversations. They're talking to their bond counsel, they're looking at the payment schedules of everything. So there's a whole bunch of work from a city planning development economic development, bond counts, all of that also is sort of working alongside of this project or needs to be.

[John Petrella]: Yep. All right. So next question. You know, the project manager. You know, what is the role of that? The owner's project manager? And have we hired it? We hired someone, right? Yeah, we have. OK, so that's all set. Yeah. OK.

[Jenny Graham]: and i'm sure they've had experience they've done yeah okay so um so left field they are okay they are an owner's project manager they've worked with medford before um they uh they are an owner's project manager who builds k-12 schools okay okay so this is like this is their space okay um And they did the Waltham project. They did the South Shore Tech project, which is like a little bit ahead of us. You know, they helped pass a vote in like 11 communities all at once. Like really remarkable work. I think they're also the OPM in Brockton, who is sort of moving alongside of us. with their building projects. So this is what they do for a living. When we interviewed the OPMs, the thing that stood out about this team as we picked them, and the reason that we picked them, is they know how to manage the construction part of the process, but they also know how to be a partner and to be our eyes and ears. And They're ready to support us like whatever we need. They'll be at like the egg dash tomorrow with us to help tell people about the project. So they're just, you know, they're like, we're here to be part of your team and we're ready to do whatever it is that needs to be done. So that was really important for us.

[John Petrella]: I mean, you know, just to finish up on this. I mean, that to me, you know, the project manager, to me, that's, they're in charge of the contractors and, you know, making sure material, so that, they're the ones that are actually gonna be the boss, so to speak.

[Jenny Graham]: I'm learning really fast, but I don't work in construction, so these are our eyes and ears.

[John Petrella]: To me, that's the big thing. They control a heck of a lot, so you want someone, and I've heard of them before. It's good to know.

[Jenny Graham]: And then our designer is a company called SMMA. They are known for doing big, comprehensive schools. They did Somerville. They did Waltham. They're doing Lexington. They do the big ones, right? They do the big ones. So this is what they do. They were selected by a larger panel. So it wasn't Medford that picked them. It was a combined Medford MSBA panel who selected them for this project.

[John Petrella]: See, this is all stuff, it's good to know.

[Jenny Graham]: Yeah, and we've been really happy with them all. I meet with them every single week and we're always talking about schedule, budget, all those things.

[John Petrella]: Okay, so to me that was like, that's probably the most important, well to me it's the most important question because they really do control a lot. So let's get to the last question. Which, what will be the metrics? used by the high school committee to select, and this is another big one, the design, the actual design for the high school project. I know right now there's a lot of them, so how do we, what's the metric for that? I'm just.

[Jenny Graham]: You know, one of the interesting things, when we picked this committee, right, there's a series of people that have to be on the committee according to the rules that are set forward by MSBA. And when we looked at that stack, right, like the people that were given, and then we looked at, you know, making sure that the right city resources were on the project. We had some elected officials on the project. We can't do this without our elected officials. We also said we need to have residents. We need to have people who do this for a living on this committee. And we got like 120 applications or something like that. So we picked 25 people to be on this committee. We have 15 voting members, 25 people on the committee. And everybody's there with like a different hat. Right. So we have educators with their educator hat on. We have architects with their architect hat on. We have people in finance like me with my finance hat on. And I think the truth is, what is compelling me about this project is going to be different than what's compelling you. And that's by design why we have such a big committee, so that we can take all of that in. The rubric of what What I value and what you value are different just like you know if you walk down your street in Medford Every house is gonna have you know place a different value on things like are we increasing playing fields? Are we keeping the pool like all of those things? So I don't think there's going to be a single metric that sort of is like black and white and crystal clear. I don't think that exists, right? But we are trying to make sure we're hearing from lots of people across Medford. We've had several community forums. We've had like two community forums, two teacher forums. We have three more community forums scheduled. Coming up, right? Yeah, so all of those things, right? And we have lots of ways for people to provide their input and feedback in written form. One of the interesting things, if you look at those 29 options, we have done the same exercise multiple times where we've given people dots, like sticker dots, and said, just put them on the ones that appeal to you.

[John Petrella]: Right.

[Jenny Graham]: We actually kind of agree about which ones appeal to people. Visually, even though there are lots of choices, there's a whole swath of them where it's like nobody, no stickers in four or five events. So I think that just goes to show you, yes, everyone values something different. But when presented with a common set of information, I think we kind of agree on more than we disagree on, right? So I don't exactly know where the committee will go as we make these decisions. I'm one vote, like I'm the chair, but I'm just one vote. Like I can go down in flames in a single vote just like anybody. But I think the big thing for me, like what's driving me is it's a value conversation, right? Like I don't want to spend one penny on things that will not be used. So if we're going to add a space, I want to feel confident that that space will be used and loved and maximized, right? I do want to spend, though, in such a way that we avoid having to do more costly projects down the line. I want to spend to maximize this space that we have because we're land poor in Medford, right? The city doesn't own much, so we have to make the most of the spaces that we have. So how do we fix the problems that we have on this campus? how do we create a better environment for students and how do we make this like a place that the community feels part of right like and I think that's becoming more of a thing for this building you know especially with some of the work the vocational students are doing but this is like our this is our flagship building in the whole community right and people should feel proud of this building you shouldn't drive up and go They should drive up and be like, all right, we're here. And so I think, for me, it's about value. I wanna be able to justify how we are spending our money, which I think is super important. But I also, I want kids to wanna learn in it, right? You don't wanna send your kid here and have them be like, it's kinda like a prison, mom. Right? No, that's the whole thing.

[John Petrella]: The learning environment, I always say.

[Jenny Graham]: So and I think along the way, you know, the other thing that's driving me from a value perspective is we will continue to teach kids in this building through the entire project, my own included.

[John Petrella]: Yeah.

[Jenny Graham]: And we need to make sure that we are making it OK for them, too.

[John Petrella]: That's a big thing.

[Jenny Graham]: Yeah, that's a real big and it should be better than just OK. Right. Like I know people hate modular classrooms. Yeah. I hate them because it's like they're throwaway. So they cost a ton of money and it's throwaway. But you know what modular classrooms have? Heat and air conditioning. We can't say that for some of our classrooms. I hear you. So, you know, when we talk about like value, there will be disruption. But how do we make sure we're not, you know, we need to have our eyes on the future and the now at the same time. So really starting to think about like how do we How do we operationalize this? The OPM has what they call a move manager, and that person will help us think about like all of the phasing, where people have to go, how classrooms get moved, all of that stuff is like yet to come. But, you know, we're thinking about it all, like all the time. Like this is, you know, this is why like, you know, I wake up at five in the morning. I didn't send these emails and I haven't talked to these people and I'm not I need to get this thing done because It is a big project and it's you it's so important and it's exciting.

[John Petrella]: You know, I'm sure it is Yeah, I mean, yeah, like I said, I'll say it a million times. Everybody wants a new high school I don't think there's any doubt how you get there Jenny. That's that's gonna be all about and uh You know, I just want to get back to one thing I which I didn't even know. I was aware there was, like, I think it's 25 people. And what you said was great. It is — it's a good mixture. And I love that — all different opinions. But so there's — so the people know there's — When you say voting, there's 10... 15 voting members. 15, okay. I just want to make sure everyone's aware of that. So those 15, all diverse, all from all over the place, they're going to, I mean, it's going to get whittled down. and then they're gonna make the decision. And the other thing I have to throw in here is I didn't realize, I mean, the MSBA really has a huge part in this. They're really...

[Jenny Graham]: I mean, they're our partners, right?

[John Petrella]: They do this for a living. They are really, really into this, which is good, I guess.

[Jenny Graham]: Yeah, and I think, you know, they're also looking at, you know, the broader portfolio across the state, right? And they know, like, if they start reading our educational plan, They could say like, gee Medford, we read this in your plan. This other school is doing that. Go chat with them about how they're doing it. It might inform how you design this building or what you place next to each other. I'm looking forward to their feedback. I think there'll be lots of it and I don't think that means it's bad. I think lots of feedback makes for a better project.

[John Petrella]: Like I said, I know they're involved. They have to be. Mean if they don't like something they're gonna let you know basically well That's what a partner is supposed to do You know, I mean the show has come to an end all right and I we kept you here a long time No, no, and I I really I Want to thank you you know, so much because I think what you did today was, on this show, was great. I think people got a lot out of it, and I think you educated a lot of people. I hope so. No, you did. I really want to thank you.

[Jenny Graham]: As this project goes forward, if you want to talk again about something else that's happening on the project, just let me know. I'm happy to do this again. And I'll be looking for volunteers to help me knock on doors. So I'm going to put your name on my list, and we'll talk.

[John Petrella]: We'll be thrilled to have you back again. No, we will. We'll have you back. I can promise you that. So anyhow, thank you again for joining us on Method Happenings.

[Jenny Graham]: Thanks for having me.

[John Petrella]: And I'm going to be honest, we wish you continued success, Jenny. Thank you. Thanks. And for the whole project and everything else, we want it to be successful. So thank you again.

[Jenny Graham]: Yeah, thanks. I appreciate that.

[John Petrella]: All right, so I also now have to take a minute to thank everyone who has been watching the show. We appreciate all the feedback we're getting. And there's been a lot of feedback, which is a good thing. So, if you would like to appear on Method Happenings, you can contact us at MethodHappenings02155 at gmail.com. And you're going to be able to watch replays of this program on Method Community Media Access Channel. And you can also check out our website, and I think this is a show really worth taking a look at, methodhappenings.com. And you can now either view or listen to our podcast of this program. You're also going to find us on YouTube. And on Facebook, we're getting a new site up, Method Happenings. So thank you, Jenny.

[Jenny Graham]: Absolutely.

[John Petrella]: Really appreciate it. For the Method Happenings team, myself, of course, Paul, Marco, Bruce, and James. Thank you all so much. I'm John Petrella, and remember, MedFed, stay informed. Ta-da!