Lynn school board seeks green grants for Breed, Tech

LYNN – Students and teachers in seven of Lynn’s schools will be warmer this winter thanks to furnace repairs and renovations paid for by stimulus funding. And now, it looks like more eco-dollars may be in the pipeline for windows, roofs and boilers for school buildings.The School Committee voted this week to apply for two grants from the Green Repair Program, a new school assistance program recently launched by the Massachusetts School Building Authority which funds new school building and renovation projects throughout the state. The Green Repair Program was created to help communities make repairs in school buildings that are otherwise structurally and functionally sound.”We have two schools that qualify for the program,” School Superintendent Catherine Latham told the committee.u Lynn Vocational and Technical Institute is eligible for funding to replace the building’s roof, which has been patched and re-seamed, but has inadequate insulation, and new windows to replace the old single-pane models installed when the school was built in 1971.u Breed Middle School can apply for money to replace its boiler which is past its expected life span and to install new windows to replace the current set, which are 33 years old and have deteriorated to the point that they are no longer transparent.Latham headed off some obvious questions by quickly adding that Tracy Elementary School is not eligible for funding because the building needs so many repairs and upgrades.The MSBA has approximately $300 million to distribute to schools for green repair projects. State officials chose to zero in on repairs to leaky roofs, drafty windows and sluggish boilers because those three problems often bump up energy use. The ultimate goals of the program are to improve classrooms so kids and teachers can focus on learning and to save some money on heating bills, taking the pressure off operating budgets.The Green Repairs Program will not cover the whole cost of any one project. Like the school building program, costs are shared between the agency and the school district. The MSBA pays between 31 and 80 percent of the bill and cities and towns that receive the grants are required to pick up the rest.The next step for Lynn is to get its application, or Statement of Interest, in to the MSBA by Sept. 22. Although there are no guarantees, school committee members were optimistic about Lynn’s chances and happy that the state is offering more support to school districts hoping to strengthen their buildings with green technology,”I don’t see how we could turn this down,” said committee member John Ford.