School projects
And no, we’re not talking book reports. BMR officials are getting ready to drum up support for school renovations.
BLACKSTONE — School Superintendent Allen W. Himmelberger later this fall will embark on a public relations campaign in Blackstone to provide information and drum up support for a pair of proposed projects that would see major renovations to the John F. Kennedy Elementary School and the 46-year-old Blackstone-Millville Regional High School.
Himmelberger will be making his case for the projects starting in November and into early next spring.
“There are going to be lots of meetings and information forthcoming,” Himmelberger told members of the Blackstone-Millville Regional School Committee last week.
The John F. Kennedy Elementary School in Blackstone has been invited into the funding process by the Massachusetts School Building Authority for repairs and upgrades, but missing the cut for similar funding was the Augustine F. Maloney School in Blackstone and the Millville Elementary School in Millville.
The school district submitted three statements of interest to the MSBA in January, which was first step toward potential MSBA funding for major renovations to the three schools, as well as the Blackstone-Millville Regional High School.
The district sought the state funding for the three elementary schools under the MSBA’s accelerated repair program, but only the Kennedy school was invited into the program, which helps to fund targeted repairs to school buildings. If the MSBA eventually accepts the project, the district could be reimbursed up to about 58 percent of the repair.
According to Himmelberger, the MSBA Board of Directors voted to invite only 19 projects in 13 school districts into the program, including the JFK school. He said the Maloney School and Millville Elementary School, however, were not invited to move for- ward due to the large number of applications.
As for the high school project, the district is seeking funds under the MSBA’s core program, which is primarily for extensive repairs, renovations and additions to existing facilities and for the construction of new schools. That application is pending, Himmelberger said.
A facilities study drafted by the New England School Development Council has identified major deficiencies at the 46-year-old Blackstone-Millville Regional High School and the 51-year-old John F. Kennedy/ Augustine F. Maloney school complex, including old and inefficient HVAC and electrical systems and the need new for energy efficient windows, doors and lighting.
Simply put, the schools are outdated and have poorly operating building systems.
When Himmelberger discussed the conditions of the two schools earlier this year, he said the buildings still have much of the same equipment and infrastructure.
The current thinking now, at least from the School Committee’s perspective, is not to replace the schools, but to renovate and modernize them, hopefully over the next two years.
Himmelberger said the time to begin thinking about financing for the project is now and it all starts with the statement of interest to the Massachusetts School Building Authority, which would reimburse the town a percentage of the cost.
Himmelberger said if the Kennedy school project hypothetically were to cost $10 million, then 58 percent, or $1.74 million, of that would be picked up by the MSBA leaving the balance for the town of Blackstone to finance. The town’s share of the project would likely be bonded over a 20-year note.
The MSBA’s accelerated repair program does not cover plumbing, electrical, flooring and carpet, so the cost of those repairs would be borne by the town as a capital expenditure.
If the high school is accepted into the MSBA’s core program, that projected $25 million project would also receive 58 percent reimbursement, leaving the towns of Blackstone and Millville responsible for 42 percent of the cost, which would be roughly $10 million split proportionately between Blackstone and Millville.
The Blackstone-Millville Regional School District was established in 1967 and includes one elementary school in Millville (Millville Elementary School, preschool-Grade 5); two elementary schools in Blackstone (John F. Kennedy, kindergarten-Grade 3 and Augustine F. Maloney, Grades 4-5); and a middle school and high school in Blackstone (Frederick W. Hartnett Middle School and Blackstone-Millville Regional High School).
The district serves 1,882 students, has a 135-member teaching staff and is overseen by an elected eight-member School Committee, with four members from each town.
A few years ago, the district replaced the roofs of the Blackstone-Millville Regional High School, the John F. Kennedy Elementary School /Augustine F. Maloney Elementary School and Millville Elementary School. Those projects were part of the MSBA’s accelerated repair program in which the government agency reimburses the town a percentage of the cost.