New Middle School Plan Gets MSBA Approval

WALPOLE, MA - The Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) approved Walpole's plans for a new combined middle school on August 25, the Walpole School Committee announced at its meeting on Thursday, August 26.

School Committee member Mark Breen said that he, fellow member Nancy Gallivan and Superintendent Bridget Gough attended the virtual meeting, where the final approval was announced.

"Through all these steps in the last number of months, they looked our plans over - every square foot and every dollar," he said.

He noted that Walpole was ranked in the lower tier of selected projects in cost for square foot, making it "a better value."

Walpole has 120 days to secure the financing from the decision date. This means that the town will be voting on an override at the upcoming Town Meeting. While the MSBA approved an estimated maximum total facilities grant of $37,248,947, it does not include eligible owners or construction contingency costs, which may be reimburseable.

The final grant amount will be determined by the MSBA based on a review and audit of all project costs incurred by the town.

"We're really almost at the real beginning once we have the vote this fall," Breen added.

Gallivan said the MSBA voted for the allocation of more than $37 million, as long as the remainder is approved by the town locally.

The Town Meeting vote is October 23. If approved, it will appear as a ballot question for the election on November 2.

Several community forums are planned, Gallivan added, and information is available on the Walpole Public Schools website.

The link is: https://sites.google.com/walpo...

"I would say it's been a thorough process, and it's been vetted very carefully from both a financial and an educational point of view," she said.

Vice chairperson Kristen Syrek suggested that tours be given at the forums held at the Bird and the Johnson to illustrate why a new building is necessary.

"This is generational as a project," said chairperson William Buckley Jr. "Its success will have a generational impact; its failure will have a generational impact."