Voters in Agawam, Massachusetts approved a plan Tuesday to pay for a new high school totaling at least $230 million.
71 percent of voters chose “Yes” on the ballot question, according to the Town Clerk’s office.
The debt exclusion override question helps pave the way for a new school to replace the one on Cooper Street, which dates back to 1955.
Mayor Christopher Johnson said in a series of videos explaining the project before the vote, that it was either build a new school with almost $100 million in state aid or make extensive repairs and renovations to the current school totaling $73 million, without aid.
“The last new school that Agawam cut the ribbon on - Richard Nixon was the president,” the mayor said. “It was 1973 - 51 years ago, when the Agawam Junior High School opened - that's the last new school Agawam has built.”
A project website indicated construction on the new school could start in early 2025, and wrap up in the fall of 2028.
