Importantly, the feasibility study is needed for the town to be eligible for state money to help underwrite any future action including construction costs.
GRANBY – Voters at an upcoming special Town Meeting will be asked to spend $800,000 to pay for a study that is expected to determine whether the aging West Street elementary school is worth fixing or building a new one to replace it is a better option.
The study will also provide cost estimates to do the work. It is not currently known what the price tag would be to repair or replace the 72-year-old building. Town officials now believe building a new school is the wisest choice.
The feasibility study is needed for the town to be eligible for state money to help underwrite any future action, including construction costs.
The Sept. 30 Town Meeting begins 7 p.m. at the junior-senior high school on East State Street.
The single warrant article asks voters to appropriate “$800,000 to be expended under the direction of the West Street School Building Committee . . . for which feasibility study the Town may be eligible for a grant from the Massachusetts School Building Authority.”
If funded, the research will also include an enrollment study.
According to Granby selectman Mark Bail, who supports passage of the measure, the issue requires decisive action.
“We need to act now. And we need to act decisively. Our town now faces a critical decision, a decision on Sept. 30 will determine not only what kind of schools the next generation of our children will attend, but the kind of community we have,” Bail said in a statement he posted online.
“In a nutshell, here’s the rationale for this feasibility study: 1) The repair, renovation, or replacement of West Street School will cost more than Granby can afford alone 2) We need a grant from the Massachusetts School Building Authority to make any work affordable 3) To qualify for that grant, we need to do the feasibility study. I think everyone understands that if we want money from the MSBA, we need to play by their rules,” Bail wrote.
“Based on previous studies, we already have a good idea that it may be more cost effective to build a new building rather than renovate West Street.”