Old Newton North still costs taxpayers

Even as the city finishes rebuilding Newton North High into the state's most expensive school, it is spending more than $100,000 a year to keep the old building in usable condition until students can move into its replacement.

Workers completed 501 repair jobs at the school between last July and the end of March, compared with 240 jobs completed over the same period at the recently renovated and expanded Newton South High. Most of the Newton North repairs involved its electrical, plumbing, and heating and cooling systems.

Officials say the repairs are to be expected in the 35-year-old building, but they are also wary of pouring too much into a facility that only has to last until the fall of 2010, when its $197.5 million replacement is slated to open.

"We have an obligation to keep that school running properly," School Committee chairman Marc Laredo said. "Obviously, it's disappointing to put any money into a building we're not going to be using much longer."

"I would be surprised if you didn't see what you're seeing," said Heidi Black, director of high school construction. "We're trying to hold on until we can get into the new school."

Michael Cronin, the school system's chief of operations, also said it's no surprise that the aging school requires more work than its mostly new counterpart. But he added that the Newton North repairs are short-term fixes, rather than preventive maintenance.

"We're certainly not going to sink millions of dollars into a building we're going to knock down next fall. It certainly won't get the Cadillac service that Newton South would get," he said.

The district spent $128,520 on work to Newton North in the fiscal year that ended last June, and Cronin said he expects the costs to be similar this year. Expenses for Newton South were greater last year - $172,916 - than for North, but Cronin said he expects to spend less money on South this year because of preventive maintenance steps taken last year.

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