PEABODY — The first phase in the long process to repair or replace the 50-year-old William A. Welch Elementary School on Swampscott Avenue was approved by the state Wednesday.
“This is a very significant first step,” said School Committeewoman Beverley Ann Griffin Dunne.”It represents great progress in improving the school.”
The Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA), the quasi-independent government authority created to fund capital improvement projects in the Commonwealth’s public schools, approved a feasibility study for the project. The vote represents the first phase of a multi-step process to renovate or replace the 4,300-square-foot school.
Dunne said the school has been in need of a major facelift for years. The inefficient heating system and frosted windows must be replaced, and students and faculty require 21st century classrooms that meet the needs of today’s schools, she said.
Last month, the City Council approved $1.2 million to hire an architect and project manager to complete the study of the school by year’s end. Dunne said with its approval, the MSBA will reimburse the city for those costs.
The report by the architect and the project manager is expected to provide the School Committee with a range of options including the cost to renovate the school versus new construction. Dunne said the city will decide the best option. Under the MSBA guidelines, the state would reimburse the city as much as 55 percent for construction costs.
Still, there’s no guarantee MSBA will fund the Welch construction project. A number of factors will be considered, including need, and the availability of funds before the state determines which schools get the cash.
State Treasurer Deborah Goldberg said the feasibility study will examine potential solutions to the issues identified at school facilities and help the state develop the most cost effective plan to address those issues.
The MSBA partners with Bay State communities to support the design and construction of educationally appropriate, flexible, sustainable, and cost-effective public school facilities. Since its 2004 inception, the authority has made more than $14 billion in reimbursements for school construction projects.
“We are committed to working with these districts to help address the deficiencies at these schools,” said John K. McCarthy, MSBA’s executive director, in a statement.
