Saugus board mulls new high school

SAUGUS – School Committee Chairman Wendy Reed has called a meeting for tonight to discuss options for a new high school.Town Meeting voted Monday night to refer a request to spend $250,000 to pay for a feasibility study to build new science labs back to the committee so it can file a statement of interest with the Massachusetts School Building Authority to build a new high school in Saugus instead.?I hope the people that spoke are sincere,” said Reed on Tuesday. “I would hope this wasn?t just an attempt to not spend money and truly they have an interest in building a new school. I would hate to go through all that work and not have it funded.”Reed estimated it could cost anywhere between $60 million and $80 million to build a new school and would take “not less than five years” to actually build it.?I?m disappointed we?re not going to move forward with an immediate remedy, but if it does result in a new high school, I?ll be pleased with that,” said Reed. “But I want people to realize building a high school doesn?t happen overnight. It?s going to be three or four years in the making.”School Committee member Joe Malone said building a new high school will be a “whole new kettle of wax” compared to renovating the science labs.?It?s a tough one because you have to find the right site in Saugus and you have to get approval by the school building assistance group,” said Malone. “Sometimes it?s more difficult to get a new building than to get a renovation through. That?s my initial concern. That?s a long process. I?m not saying it?s impossible. Can we get to the top of the list? And if we do, can we get the override?”Malone said the labs are in “dire need” of repair, but noted the problem is any new school would have had to be built around them.?It might have been a missed opportunity to do something to bring the labs back up to snuff,” said Malone. “But then again, if in five or 10 years you want to build a new high school, you have a problem there.”School officials said it would cost $4 to $6 million to fix the science labs.Malone said the Curley property had been discussed in the past as a possible site for a school, but noted it?s still uncertain whether the area can accommodate a new school. The property is located near Walnut and Water streets.For School Committee member Arthur Grabowski, Monday?s vote came out “better than expected.”?I didn?t want to do that science lab thing,” said Grabowski. “We need to look at the bigger picture. The science labs is like slapping a Band-Aid on something.”Grabowski said he would like to see a new high school/middle school complex built on the current athletic fields, but acknowledged there?s still a lot of uncertainty for any new building project.?Ultimately it depends on a debt exclusion,” said Grabowski. “It depends on the economy. It depends on if the town asks for an override for their side of business ? There?s talk of a trash fee being implemented. What happens if you go for a $3 million override and a trash fee and five years later you go for the school, people are going to be overwhelmed. If we don?t get it then, we?d have to think about fixing up that school wing by wing.”Corinne Riley, vice-chairman of the School Committee, mentioned a study conducted 10 years ago that looked at the possibility of a new school, noting no action has been taken since.?We?re talking 10 years ago that that report came out and nothing has happened to fix anything in that building since that report came out,” said Riley. “It was really disheartening to see all those things that needed to be accomplished and nothing has been touched.”Riley said she was “a little disappointed” that the study did not pass, but acknowledged that if the town has an “appetite” for a new school, she would get behind it.?It?s very difficult to think what?s going to happen when you have an election every two years and you don?t know who?s going to be in there and who?s going to make these votes,” said Riley.?As the years go by, w