State Treasurer Steven Grossman, Chairman of the Massachusetts School Building Authority (“MSBA”), and Jack McCarthy, MSBA Executive Director, announced today that the MSBA Board of Directors voted to move the Clark Avenue Middle School to the next phase in the MSBA capital pipeline. In the Schematic Design phase, Chelsea and the MSBA will look at options for the replacement of the school with a new facility on the existing site. The next step is for the MSBA to work in collaboration with the District to produce detailed designs for a potential school project.
“Listening to the needs of a community and developing projects accordingly are priorities at the MSBA, and the proposed Clark Avenue Middle School project is a case study in that sentiment,” said Treasurer Grossman. “Thanks to our collaborative work with local officials, we are working to build a safe and modern educational facility that will provide students with a top-notch learning environment.”
The proposed project would replace the existing Clark Avenue Middle School with a new 115,232 square-foot facility on the existing site. The current school was built in 1907 and suffers from deficiencies in major building systems including electrical, mechanical, envelope, and plumbing. The proposed new school would serve 670 students in grades 5 through 8.
“Production and approval of a schematic design will help us to determine the final budget for the potential project,” Executive Director McCarthy said.
The MSBA partners with Massachusetts communities to support the design and construction of educationally-appropriate, sustainable, and cost-effective public school facilities. Since its creation, the MSBA has made more than $10.1 billion in timely payments to cities, towns, and regional school districts for school construction projects. These reimbursements have saved municipalities over $2.9 billion in avoided local interest costs and have provided much needed cash flow to communities.
