State Approves $39.6 Million Grant For New Elementary School
A grant of $39,640,520 was unanimously approved by the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) Board of Directors on April 26, marking a major milestone in the effort to build a new elementary school in Amherst.
A town wide vote to raise property taxes to cover the town’s portion of the overall school cost will be on May 2, with early voting open now. If this debt exclusion override vote secures a majority, the project will move forward to design development, with construction slated to begin in August, 2024.
The vote by the MSBA authorizes Executive Director Jack McCarthy to enter into a ”Project Scope and Budget” Agreement with the Town of Amherst, to consolidate the student populations of Fort River and Wildwood schools into a new three-story, 105,750 square foot school for 575 students in grades K-5, at the site of the existing Fort River school. The school district has previously voted to relocate the district’s sixth grade students to the Amherst-Pelham Regional Middle School, beginning in September 2025 or 2026.
Local representatives in attendance at the virtual Board of Directors meeting were Superintendent Michael Morris, Town Manager Paul Bockelman, Town Councilor and School Building Committee Chair Cathy Schoen, and Town Council President Lynn Griesemer. Also on the call were State Senator Jo Comerford and State Representative Mindy Domb.
Votes on projects for 10 other towns in the commonwealth preceded Amherst’s. Then, after a brief overview of the Fort River project by MSBA Senior Architect Karl Brown, McCarthy mentioned that letters of support had been received from Comerford and Domb and he invited Comerford, Domb, and Morris to make remarks to the 130 online participants. Each expressed strong support and excitement for the project and appreciation to the MSBA.
On April 3, the Amherst Town Council appropriated $97,492,297 for the construction of the school, which consisted of a borrowing authorization for $92,492,297 and the transfer of $5,000,000 from the town’s capital stabilization account. Most of the $5 million is expected to be recouped through federal energy incentives upon project completion. A slightly higher grant amount from the MSBA of $40.5 million may be possible if project contingency funds are used on MSBA-eligible expenditures. Should contingency funds not be required to complete the project, the maximum amount the MSBA would contribute is the currently-authorized amount. Now that the project scope and budget agreement is set, any further cost increases would be borne by the town.
In addition to the state grant, $700,000 in Community Preservation Act funds has been committed to the project for playing field improvements at the Fort River site, which are a part of the project plan. The town also anticipates an approximately $1.6 million utility incentive for incorporating the highly energy-efficient ground source heating and cooling system. If the override passes, the town will borrow the remaining ~$50 million of the project cost, which will be repaid through property tax increases over a 30-year period. Residents can look up their address on an impact calculator available here to find out what the impact of the override would be on their property taxes. The Town Manager has been asked by the Town Council to continue looking for additional sources of funding to further reduce the impact on taxpayers.