Lowell council to decide on high school building choice
After more than a year, the Lowell City Council will decide the future of its downtown high school and whether to renovate the old building or construct a new one — a project that will be one of the most expensive high school building projects in the state.
The council is expected to vote on the controversial project on June 13, giving developers Skanska and Perkins Eastman time to submit final documents to the Massachusetts School Building Authority by June 29.
The options have been largely narrowed to a $352.2 million renovation of the existing high school downtown, or a completely new building at Cawley Stadium outside the downtown area. The new site could be either a $339.1 million four-story high school or a $336.1 million five-story building, according to City Councilor Rita Mercier.
Annual tax increases would range from $255 to $299 for the average $253,908 home, depending on the option, Mercier said.
Opponents of the downtown renovation project say they object to taking a medical office building at 75 Arcand Drive by eminent domain, which would be required for the project. But opponents of the Cawley option argue it pulls students and faculty away from downtown businesses, lengthens bus rides for kids and poses traffic problems for the neighborhood.
“I’m leaning toward Cawley,” Mercier told the Herald. “I think our children deserve the best. I think we’re throwing good money at bad putting it downtown ... As soon as we spend money on it, we’ll have to repair. That’s not the way to spend our money”
“I will not support taking by eminent domain the doctors’ office space that has been in the city for years,” Mercier added.
City Councilor Vice Chairman Dan Rourke also favored new construction.
“In the 1980s, we spent millions on a renovation. Look where we are right now,” Rourke told the Herald. “It’s an expensive project no matter what. I think we should have a brand new building from the ground up.”
City Councilor John Leahy, however, remained on the fence about the coming vote.
“I haven’t made up my mind,” Leahy said. “I can see the value of going to a brand new building, but I have to weigh in the infrastructure cost and disruption to the neighborhood. For the downtown, I like the historical site and all the resources around it. The downtown is more favorable to the taxpayer because the reimbursement from the state is higher.”