New High School Would Cost Between $72 and $80 Million (VIDEO)

Wilmington school and town officials revealed cost estimates on Tuesday for a construction project.

During the third of three public forum sessions on the topic, Town Manager Michael Caira said conservative estimates have the project costing between $72 and $80 million. If the project is approved, the local share would be $40 million with the state reimbursing the rest.

“The numbers are preliminary, and I can’t express that enough,” said Caira. “You deserve an actual number and eventually you will have that. When we have that, it will go through the same process a normal budget does.”

If the Massachusetts School Building Authority approves the project, two meetings would need to take place in town – a special town meeting that requires a two-thirds majority and a special election that simply requires a majority vote.

There are three options for paying off the debt if voters approve the school, and all figures are based on the average residential property of $357,066 and a yearly tax bill of $4,242.

During a 20-year period, the first-year residential tax impact would be $254, the average tax impact annually would be $184 and  the final year impact would be $124.

A 25-year loan would mean a $239 spike the first year, an average of $160 per year and a final payment of $95. Finally, a 30-year loan would be an initial payment of $234, an average of $146 and a final payment of $76.

Though the large sentiment of the half-full auditorium was in support of a new school, Kevin MacDonald was among those against it. MacDonald spoke about the top-notch education he received while in Wilmington.

“The bricks and mortar did not educate those students, and new bricks and mortar won’t educate these future students,” said MacDonald. “It’s good quality teachers who educate students. We’d be better off with hiring the best and the brightest than we are getting pretty walls and studs.”

On June 13, the High School Building Committee will vote on the final plan officials will go forward with recommending to the MSBA. Caira admitted that “Plan 2B-15,” which would be a brand new school rather than renovation, is a top candidate.

Among those in attendance were Wildcat Ambassadors, students who serve as leaders in the school.

“We’re really interested in this, and I think that says a lot,” said one of the students, a junior. “We want to support a school that we will never attend, because it’s important to us."