City may not have to pay up for tornado-damaged schools

Date: 8/20/2012

By G. Michael Dobbs

news@thereminder.com

SPRINGFIELD — Although no definite budgets for the cost of rebuilding of the two schools damaged in the June 1, 2011 tornado has been set, the city may not have to spend any of its own money in that effort thanks to new legislation discussed by State Treasurer Steven Grossman at a press conference on Aug. 15.

Mayor Domenic Sarno explained the city is still waiting to learn of the level of funding that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) would offer in repairing the Mary A. Dryden Veterans Memorial School and building a new Elias Brookings Museum Magnet School.

By law, the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA), which in under Grossman's supervision, cannot pay for more than 80 percent of the construction of a new school. The new legislation, signed into law last week by Gov. Deval Patrick, allows the MSBA to pay more than 80 percent for schools that were damaged by a federally declared disaster between June 1, 2011 and Aug. 1, 2012. The amount more than 80 percent is up to the decision of the MSBA.

Both Grossman and Sarno attributed the legislation to State Sen. James Welch for suggesting it and State Sen. Gale Candaras for guiding it through the conference committee process.

Welch said the legislation was "entirely a team effort," while Candaras noted, "Today is about promises made and promises kept by our governor and our treasurer."

Sarno noted that Grossman made one of the first phone calls to him extending whatever help his office could offer to the city. Shortly after the tornado, Grossman convened a meeting of the MSBA board in Springfield to see the damage to the two schools personally.

While details of how much money will come from the federal and state governments have yet to be determined, Grossman said, "There is no question the city will save many millions of dollars by this announcement."

Jack McCarthy, executive director of the MSBA, said the Brookings School is still in the design phase, but anticipates there would be a groundbreaking sometime next spring.

The Dryden repairs, he added, are further along and there should be a groundbreaking by the end of this year.

McCarthy said that "no one is being cagey" about the funding details, but that agreements with FEMA must be in place before the funding can be finalized.