By Max Bowen-max.bowen@northstarreporter.com
Though the North Attleborough Schools are closed through the end of the academic year, capital projects are still on the move.
At Monday’s virtual School Committee meeting, Superintendent Scott Holcomb said that the replacement of the Community School roof—estimated at $1 million—would proceed. While no construction work can be done now, the project can be put out to bid and an architect chosen.
“We’re not waiting an additional year to get that done,” he said.
The initial plan was to replace the roof over the summer. However, in a meeting with the Municipal Building Committee in February, it was determined that by mid-March, roofing companies have finalized their jobs for the year. While it was possible to secure a roofer over the summer, the cost would likely be considerably higher. Approximately $1 million has been bonded for the project.
In addition to this project, the school is also moving forward with submitting Statements of Interest [SOI] to the Massachusetts School Building Authority [MSBA] for the high school and elementary schools. The SOI for the high school would call for an expansion of the building to cope with rising enrollment. The elementary school SOI would call for the construction of a school for Amvet, Roosevelt, and Community students. The Amvet School would likely be demolished, and the Roosevelt could become a new early learning center. The Community School would be turned over to the town.
At a meeting in April, the Town Council approved submission of the SOIs. School districts from across the state make submissions to the MSBA, out of which a small number are chosen. Should the MSBA choose either of North Attleborough’s projects, the next step would be a feasibility study. This would cost $1 million apiece, and the state would reimburse the town 52 percent of this. Holcomb has said it’s unlikely that both SOIs would be chosen.
“We would find out by December if we were chosen,” he said.
