WESTFORD — Robinson Elementary School could soon be eligible for grant funding through the Massachusetts School Building Authority after its board voted to invite the school into its eligibility period a school building project.
The board voted to invite the district’s Statement of Interest into a 270-day eligibility period for grant funding on Dec. 13, 2023.
Project for Robinson Elementary School
Robinson Elementary School is one of 19 schools selected to participate in the MSBA grant process, which is “a non-entitlement, competitive program, and its grants are distributed by the MSBA Board of Directors based on need and urgency, as expressed by the district and validated by the MSBA,” as stated in a presentation of the MSBA Statement of Interest Recommendations.
Districts can submit an SOI for facilities that need roof, window, or boiler replacements, or for additional projects “in need of a larger scope of work,” according to the MSBA.
“Being invited into this eligibility phase is just step one of [eight],” Superintendent Dr. Christopher Chew said in a December 18 School Committee meeting. “At the earliest, this is a five to seven-year process if everything … [falls] in along their timeline.”
He added, “the fact that we were invited into this eligibility period is wonderful.”
The school requires exterior and interior replacements and repairs, including updated plumbing, fire protection, heating and ventilation, and electrical systems. Classroom spaces were also identified as being more than 20% smaller than the MSBA guidelines.
Abbot and Blanchard
Abbot Elementary was also identified as one of the “highest needs” for renovation. According to Dr. Chew, “this proposal will [also] consider consolidating those two schools into one school, and that will be a part of this process.”
A feasibility study that explores consolidating both schools would require an additional vote from the MSBA in the future.
Other schools, Like Blanchard Middle School, have previously received approximately $2.5 million from the MSBA for a roof replacement project authorized by Annual Town Meeting on March 25, 2023.
The Town must now complete several preliminary requirements, including a compliance certification, local vote authorization, forming a building committee and a feasibility study agreement during its eligibility period between Aug. 1 and April 28, 2025.
