State gives initial approval to $660m in school construction
State officials moved ahead with $660 million in school construction projects in 15 districts throughout the state yesterday in a move that State Treasurer Tim Cahill said would provide a boost to the state’s economy.
Among the school districts approved for funding were: Needham, Wayland, Billerica, Brookline, Chelmsford, Danvers, Dedham, Hamilton-Wenham, Nashoba, Norfolk, Plymouth, Rochester, Rockland, Sharon, and Sturbridge. Go here for a description of the projects.
The plans approved by the Massachusetts School Building Authority will combine state and local funding to build or renovate three high schools, three middle schools and nine elementary schools, said MSBA Executive Director Katherine Craven. They serve about 1 percent of the state's total student population.
"It’s going to create a lot of jobs throughout the state and a lot of economic activity,” said Cahill, who chairs the MSBA and is running for governor.
In all, the state authority decided it would award $321-million for the schools and the rest would be picked by local governments. The 15 towns and school districts that would benefit from the state funding now have 120 days to garner local approval to fund the portions of their school projects not covered by the state’s contribution.
In Needham, about $8.6 million in funding approved by the MSBA would be used to upgrade heating and air conditioning systems at the Newman Elementary School.
"It's a very good day for Needham," said Needham Superintendent Dan Gutekanst.
Gutekanst said the school district believes the heating and air conditioning systems at the elementary school were affecting the health and safety of some students and teachers by causing respiratory illnesses. Temporary replacement systems have already been put in place in portions of the school
The total renovation will cost the district $27.4 million and Gutekanst said the town will vote Dec. 8 on a debt exclusion override to fund the amount not provided by the state.
One of the largest projects includes renovations to Wayland High School, where at total of $70.8 million is needed to renovate the 50-year-old high school and construct two new buildings.
Concrete has fallen off parts of Wayland High School, and the building still does not have fire suppressant sprinklers, said Lea Anderson, chairwoman of the Wayland High School Building Committee.
Anderson said the town has been trying to get funding to renovate the school since 2003, but a moratorium was soon was placed on state funding for school construction. Without assurances that the state would help cover the cost of the high school project, Anderson said Wayland voters wouldn’t approve the expenditure.
But Wednesday the MSBA approved $25 million for the Wayland High School renovations, and Wayland voters will be asked at the polls again this November to approve a debt exclusion override that would raise their taxes to pay for the rest of the school project.
Anderson said she is hoping that the promise of $25 million in state funding for the project will be too good of an offer for voters to turn down.
“This is such a huge relief,” Anderson said.
The MSBA has approved funding for other ongoing projects around the state, including at Holyoke High and the Putnam Vocational High School in Springfield, and it contributed state money to the $110-million Lawrence High School.
On Tuesday, Craven was in Wellesley, where the town officially broke ground on its $130-million high school. The state authority agreed to fund $44 million of the Wellesley project, and voters approved a debt exclusion override last December to cover the rest.
“We look on this day with great pride as it is another milestone in this long journey,” said Katherine Babson (cq), chair of the Wellesley School Building Committee.
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