State board unanimously approves Saugus school project

SAUGUS – The Massachusetts School Building Authority voted unanimously to approve the Belmonte Middle School repair project Wednesday morning as several town officials made the trip into Boston to attend the meeting.School Committee chair and chair of the Belmonte Building Committee Wendy Reed said it was an exciting morning.?It?s official,” said Reed. “It was short and sweet. Now we have all our facts. It kept changing. This is exciting and I feel good about it.”Matt Donovan, Chief of Staff for the MSBA, said a strong collaboration between town officials and the MSBA made for an easy process.?We do a lot of due diligence here as far as vetting out information from school districts,” said Donovan. “We try to see everything as a partnership and a collaboration. The main thing is, when we try to bring a project to fruition, is communication. When you?re dealing with any school ? you?re going to be impacting generations of students in Saugus.”The budget for the project is currently at $20.2 million with the MSBA reimbursing 53 percent for a total of a little more than $10 million.Selectmen Chair and State Rep. Donald Wong also attended the meeting and spoke on behalf of the town.?I personally wanted to thank them for helping all the schools across the state,” said Wong. “Our kids are our future and we need a place where they can learn well and comfortably and safely.”The Belmonte Middle School was built in 1964 and the current repair plan calls for improvements to the heating, ventilation, air conditioning and plumbing systems along with upgrades to the windows, building facades and lighting. There will also be electrical and energy efficiency improvements.The MSBA also signed off on the majority of the project alternates including gym floor and bleacher replacement, refinishing the stage floor, improved data systems, new student lockers and security improvements to the main office and entrance.The original budget was not to exceed $18.9 million, but Reed said project bids have generally been coming in low across the state and Town Manage Andrew Bisignani said he thinks the same will happen here when the project goes out to bid.?We?re hoping bids come in low,” said Bisignani. “If not then we?ll have to reevaluate.”The project will be paid for by a debt exclusion, which will come up for a vote in November. This will see taxes on the median-priced home increase by around $60 for 20 years.?To have a new school with a life expectancy of 35 years for around $60, I think it?s a pretty good deal,” said Bisignani.The Belmonte Middle School Building Committee will team up with the Board of Selectmen to hold a public information session at the Town Hall auditorium tonight at 7:30 p.m.Matt Tempesta can be reached at [email protected]. You can follow him on Twitter at @MattTempesta.