LYNN — The school committee voted unanimously Thursday night to move forward with funding the project to replace the ventilation system in 10 Lynn schools. The committee voted to allow the administration to apply to use a portion of the $18 million provided to the city from the Elementary and Secondary Education Emergency Relief II (ESSER II) Funds.
The 10 schools that will undergo ventilation construction include Aborn, Brickett, Cobbett, Drewicz, Fallon, Lincoln, Tracy, Washington, Fecteau-Leary and Pickering.
Mayor Thomas M. McGee said the city recently requested a waiver from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) to use the savings they got from not having in-person learning over the last year to spend on fixing the ventilation issues.
DESE did not approve the request for this waiver, but proposed and instructed the city to use the ESSER II money for the project. The ESSER II Fund falls under the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations (CRRSA) Act that was enacted on Dec. 27, 2020 to address a number of issues related to the pandemic.
“Those dollars are related to the legislation that was passed in December, the $908 billion, and the city of Lynn has received ESSER II funds for $18 million to make this project happen,” McGee said.
According to McGee, this ventilation project will only use up about $6.3 million of the $18 million.
Superintendent Patrick Tutwiler said he supports this project and that it is needed for the older schools.
“We’ve been working pretty closely with the Inspectional Services Department (ISD),” he said.
Tutwiler explained that although the construction will be done during the school day, it will not occur in the areas of the building where teachers are holding class.
“They’re going to have to work around the school day,” he said. “But the construction cannot interrupt or disrupt instruction or the routine of the day.”
McGee said they anticipate this project to be done by September, noting that the project is ready to go and they are just waiting on the funds.
“From my perspective, this investment is critical for us to get these schools back in play,” he said. “And for the long-term, to have a ventilation system that works for everyone.”
McGee explained that the work that was done on these schools in the 1970s resulted in the closure of the ventilation systems. He said that the energy costs at that time were “through the roof” and Lynn did not have the money to fund the costs of heating the schools at the time, ultimately leading to the closure of the ventilation systems.
McGee said although this solution in the ’70s was not optimal, it is what happened and now they have to fix it.
With the money saved from schools being fully remote and not having in-person learning, McGee said that those dollars are still available and can be used through the ISD for other projects.
All of the school committee members voted to allow the administration to submit an application to use the ESSER II funds for the project on the ventilation systems in the 10 identified schools.
