The money will help pay for a new roof for Pathfinder
The Massachusetts School Building Authority Wednesday approved $39.3 million for 32 projects, including repairs to schools in Hatfield, Westhampton and the Pathfinder Regional Vocational Technical School in Palmer.
The money was awarded from the accelerated repair program, which according to a press release, is to “improve learning environments for children and teachers, reduce energy use and generate cost savings for districts.”
The authority will provide up to $2 million or 62 percent of the project cost to replace the roof at Pathfinder, according to Dan Collins, ¨press secretary¨ for the Massachusetts School Building Authority.
It will also provide up to $1.1 million to replace the roof and windows at Smith Academy in Hatfield, about 50 percent of the cost, Collins said.
Westhampton will receive up to $518,510 or about 50 percent of expenses to replace the roof and windows at the Westhampton Elementary School.
Gerald L. Paist, Pathfinder superintendent, said in an email that the award “is very good news for a school built in 1973 and added to in 1988. This will be the first total roof replacement in the school's history, all previous work being patchwork here and there.
“In the past few years, we have had leaks after unusually heavy rain or snow storms in such areas as the gym, library, and a few offices. I give credit to our capable maintenance staff for dealing with them quickly and efficiently. But it is now time for a permanent and lasting solution,” he said.
Paist said the project manager Wednesday night was to provide an analysis of the project cost to members of the nine member communities and the projected assessment to each town for the costs not covered by the building authority.
Ideally, bids would be requested in the spring with construction in the fall, he wrote.