Arlington HS Project Budget Set At $291M

ARLINGTON, MA – The Arlington High School Building Committee voted this week to submit an approximate project budget of $291 million to the Massachusetts School Building Authority later this month. The budget is $17 million below the initial project estimate of $308 million.

"I am excited about the design concept we have chosen as the future school for our young people," Building Committee Chair Jeff Thielman said in a statement. "This design is cost-effective, sustainable and student-centered and new buildings will be available for use as early as 2022. This has been a collaborative process and we are grateful for the community’s engagement so far."

Officials have stressed the need for a new high school to accommodate increasing enrollment and address the current deteriorating building. The town is eligible to receive state funding through its partnership with the MSBA.

At the end of the Feasibility Phase last July, the preliminary estimate was $308 million. This was brought down to $299 million Jan. 29 after several town offices housed in the current high school – IT, facilities, comptroller – were moved to other town buildings during the next design phase.

The Building Committee further reduced the scope of the project after the meeting in January, resulting in a 5.5 percent decrease from the original estimate.

In 2013, the New England Association of Schools & Colleges (NEASC) placed the high school on
warning for accreditation, citing inadequate classrooms, science labs, and technology infrastructure, which affect the overall learning environment for the students, according to the Town Manager's office.

In 2015, the district was accepted into the MSBA grant program to help fund a future school. Earlier this year, the Building Committee selected a 415,000-square-foot concept with a design enrollment of 1,755 students in grades 9-12.

The MSBA Board of Directors is expected to vote on Arlington's design in mid-April. If it is approved, the town will have 120 days to obtain local funding through a debt exclusion, which will temporarily raise taxes to pay for the 30-year debt for a new school.

A town-wide debt exclusion vote is planned for June 11. Following a successful debt exclusion vote and Town Meeting approval, the project is expected to move into the Design Development phase this summer.

Construction could begin as early as July 2020, with the first building opening to students in 2022 and construction ending in 2024.

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