Reed: High school project still on track

SAUGUS – The School Committee chairman disputes an assertion that the process toward a new high school has been slowed by recent events regarding suspended Saugus Town Manager Scott Crabtree.Responding to a comment in a story in Thursday’s edition of The Daily Item, Wendy Reed said that the statement of interest process has continued to move forward without incident.The statement of interest to the Massachusetts School Building Authority for a new high school was approved in April and the town is awaiting word on whether it can continue with the process of replacing Saugus High.The statement presented the high school as “beyond its use of life,” having been built in the 1950s and intended to last only 50 years.It highlighted the school’s hazardous conditions, including asbestos in its structure, energy-wasting layout, its failure to meet disability standards and science labs that are outmoded.