Lexington Special Town Meeting Will Vote On $63 Million School Project

LEXINGTON, MA -- The town's plan to demolish and rebuild the Maria Hastings Elementary School will come down a vote at Lexington Special Town Meeting on October 16. At the meeting, which begins at 7:30 at the Cary Memorial Building, Lexington voters will be asked to approve $63 million for the project, a portion of which would be reimbursed by the Massachusetts School Building Authority.

The school is one of six elementary schools in Lexington and serves 440 students, according to its Websit. The new school would have nine additional classrooms and accommodate up to 654 students. If funding is approved and construction stays on schedule, the new school would open in early 2020.

Earlier this year town meeting approved funding to design the school. The new school would be built on the north side of the existing school's site, while the space now occupied by the existing building would be used for parking. In recent years, Lexington has had to make significant repairs to fix roof leaks and replace structural beams.

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Other projects and warrants Special Town meeting will consider include:

• An unspecified amount of funding for the design of a new building for Lexington Children's Place and for the construction of a new visitor's center.
• $676,300 for the design of a new fire station, as well as $2.1 million for the design and engineering of a temporary fire station that would be used if the final fire station replacement project is approved.
• A change to Lexington's zoning laws to prohibit the retail sale and cultivation of marijuana for recreational purposes.

The complete Special Town Meeting warrant is available on the town's Website.

Photo of mural Maria Hastings Elementary School by Lexington Public Schools.