School Committee To Approach MSBA For Coakley MS Project

NORWOOD, MA — The school committee will approach the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) about the discussion surrounding Coakley Middle School.

The board voted 5-0 to start the process towards filling out a statement of interest for the MSBA’s funding program. Applications will be made available early next year and will be accepted through a date in March to be determined.

The statement does not mean that the town and agency will start working together immediately. It simply states that they would like to look into the possibility of working together on the middle school project. The school district is not required to talk about project specifics at this point.

If Norwood is accepted into the program, they would be asked to do a large feasibility study that would review several options and compare renovating the current building to building a new one.

“If we were accepted into the MSBA program, then they would ask us to do a bigger study,” Chairperson Myev Bodenhofer said.

If Norwood is invited to enter the feasibility study phase, it would be followed by the design phase and construction phase, all which are subjected to several votes by the town and MSBA.

If the MSBA approves the entire project, it could mean a large rebate from the agency. In nearby Stoughton, the MSBA voted to issue a $52.2 million reimbursement for the town’s $123.5 million high school project.

An proposal released earlier this year recommended a new school that would house grades five through eight.

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