MSBA could continue school funding process at next meeting

Date: 1/26/2011

Jan. 26, 2011

By Katelyn Gendron

Assistant Editor

WESTFIELD — The Massachusetts School Building Authority's (MSBA) Board of Directors will decide on Feb. 9 whether or not to further the school department's request to fund capital improvements.

The district is seeking monies via the MSBA's Green Repair Program to repair the roof, windows and boiler at Westfield Vocational-Technical High School and repairs to boilers at Highland, Paper Mill and Southampton Road elementary schools. If approved by the MSBA, the city would be reimbursed for 62 percent of the multi-million-dollar repairs, projects that would most likely remain unfunded otherwise.

"I predict that we are not going to have enough money for capital improvements. It looks pretty grim," School Superintendent Shirley Alvira said of the upcoming fiscal year 2012 budget.

State assistance is essential to the maintenance of the district's facilities, she added.

"Staff and leadership at the Massachusetts School Building Authority have been very helpful to Westfield officials as we address a backlog of important maintenance projects. I am confident the city will prepare thorough and complete applications for consideration for the limited funds available," State Sen. Michael Knapik said.

The MSBA has approximately $300 million to grant school districts throughout the Commonwealth, he noted.

"Many citizens in Westfield have concerns that buildings are falling into disrepair and I think they realize that during my first year in office I've taken that responsibility seriously," Mayor Daniel Knapik said. "We're positioning the school department to right size itself for the next 20 to 50 years; so it's important that when we shutter buildings we make sure the remaining buildings are set for the next 20 to 30 years and new rooftops, boilers and interior repairs go a long way to ensuring they do."

He noted the city is moving along with another MSBA project to build a new primary school in place of the aged Abner Gibbs Elementary. Westfield is a part of the MSBA's Model School Program, which retrofits one of three model schools to meet a district's needs and therefore accelerating the design and building processes.

If granted funding from the Green Repair Program, repairs could be would be completed by the end of the year, according to school officials.

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