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| By Courtney Llewellyn Reminder Assistant Editor LONGMEADOW The School Building Committee sent out their Request for Service (RFS) for an Owners Project Manager (OPM) to the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) on Tuesday, moving the Longmeadow High School project one step closer to becoming a reality. The RFS serves as a needs analysis for the MSBA and will outline exactly what Longmeadow is looking for in an OPM, the person or firm who will be in charge of ensuring plans are followed. The School Building Committee is aiming to meet with the MSBA for a review panel meeting in Boston by Dec. 8. To illustrate exactly why Longmeadow needs a new high school, members of the School Building Committee will be touring the facility on the morning of Sept. 8. The committee is also planning on opening up the school to the public sometime before the fall Special Town Meeting, when voters will decide whether or not they will support the new high school project financially. Longmeadow is also in talks with the MSBA to participate in the Model School Pilot Program, which uses already existing designs to decrease school project design costs. The program could potentially save millions of dollars through savings in design fees and participants in the program could see up to an additional five percent in state reimbursement. Up to a year in construction time could also be cut off the project's timeline. "Katherine Craven [MSBA's Executive Director] said Longmeadow would be a great candidate [for the program] if our land meets their criteria," Superintendent E. Jahn Hart said. "We're one of eight MSBA schools that may be a good match." The next School Building Committee meeting will be taking place on Sept. 8 at 11 a.m., following the committee's tour of the high school building. The group will meet in the high school's district office. |