State Treasurer Steven Grossman said the state wants to aid school roof projects to extend the life of those buildings and the comfort of the students.
SPRINGFIELD – The Massachusetts School Building Authority recently approved grant funds totaling an estimated $4.9 million for the replacement of roofs at four local schools under the authority’s “accelerated repair” program.
The funds will target roof projects at the Springfield High School of Science and Technology, Margaret C. Ells School, South End Middle School, and Springfield Public Day High School. The replacement of the four roofs has an estimated cost of $6.8 million, with the city needing to cover any cost not reimbursed by the state.
The most expensive roofs are at the High School of Science and Technology, estimated at $3.5 million, and the Ells School, at $1.6 million.
“The Accelerated Repair program “allows us to partner with school districts, like Springfield, on much-needed repairs that can greatly extend a school’s lifespan,” said State Treasurer and authority Chairman Steven Grossman, in a prepared statement last week. “Besides making the learning environment more comfortable for our schoolchildren, these repairs also make our schools more energy efficient and generate substantial cost savings.”
The program provides up to 80 percent state reimbursement for eligible costs for design and construction. The grant amount allocated for Springfield for the roofs could rise under further review and audit, according to the guidelines.
The city will need to appropriate the funds upfront for construction, and then be reimbursed as the projects proceed, under the guidelines.
Projects under the authority’s accelerated program include the repair or replacement of roofs, windows and boilers in schools “that are otherwise structurally, functionally and educationally sound,” Grossman said.
The city has a proposed four-year program for replacing roofs, windows and boilers, with the four school roofs listed as current priorities.
A roof replacement proposed at Chestnut Accelerated Middle School is also under consideration for inclusion in the accelerated repair program, according to the authority.