Officials in Springfield, Massachusetts will seek state funding next month for major repair projects at several school buildings.
Applications will be sent to the Massachusetts School Building Authority requesting state funds to pay for improvements to 10 Springfield schools – work that includes new roofs, replacement windows and doors, additional classroom space, and HVAC system upgrades.
The city is also looking for funds to study replacing three elementary schools with new buildings.
Over the last decade or so, Springfield has received about $700 million from the MSBA to upgrade or replace dozens of school buildings – some that were constructed in the 19th Century, said Pat Sullivan, the city’s director of buildings.
“It’s really remarkable what we have gotten done with this program,” he said.
Three brand new schools have been built. Construction is underway on a new elementary school in the Mason Square neighborhood.
The school building improvements have coincided with a leap in academic performance by Springfield Public School students. In a city with a high rate of childhood asthma it is important to have schools that are clean with good air quality, said Sullivan.
“It means kids are in the classroom longer, they’re not leaving because of an asthma attack,” he said. “If you maintain your buildings, it is going to have a ripple effect for a good outcome for the kids’ education and I think that is what we are achieving with this program.”
There is no dollar amount attached to the proposals submitted to the MSBA. Each project is evaluated on its merits and if approved then a budget for it is worked out.
Springfield has been successful in getting 3-4 projects per year greenlighted by the MSBA, said Pete Garvey, the city’s director of Capital Asset Management and Construction.
“There (were) 74 selected out of over 200 submissions (statewide for funding) in the last round, so we are doing pretty good in terms of getting our fair share,” Garvey said.
He said the state funds typically cover between 60-80 percent of the total cost of a school repair or replacement project and the city borrows to cover the rest.
At a recent joint meeting of the Springfield City Council’s Maintenance and Development and Finance Committees, Councilors voiced support for the administration’s planned application to the MSBA. Councilor Trayce Whitfield, the chair of the Finance Committee, said the school projects are money well-spent.
City Councilor Jesse Lederman, chair of the Maintenance and Development Committee, said the school building improvements cut energy costs and help the city meet its sustainability goals.
The city’s proposed application to the MSBA will be on the March 7th City Council agenda. The Springfield School Committee has already signed off on the project list.
