BOSTON - State Treasurer Deborah B. Goldberg, Chair of the Massachusetts School Building Authority ("MSBA"), and MSBA Executive Director/Deputy CEO John K. McCarthy announced today that the MSBA Board of Directors voted to move Brightwood Elementary School, located in the City of Springfield, into the Schematic Design phase. In the Schematic Design phase, the MSBA and the District will look at possible options to consolidate the student population of the existing Brightwood Elementary School and the existing Lincoln Elementary School into a new facility serving grades PK-5 on a new Plainfield Street site. The next step is for the MSBA to work in collaboration with the District to produce detailed designs for a potential project.
"Thanks to our collaborative work with local officials, we are working to build a 21st century educational facility that will provide Springfield students with a top-notch learning environment," said Treasurer Goldberg.
The proposed project would create a new 150,500 square foot facility at the new Plainfield Street site that consolidates the student population of the existing Brightwood Elementary School and the Lincoln Elementary School, which suffers from deficiencies in major building systems including mechanical, electrical and structural systems. The District also reported in their Statement of Interest that the current structure suffers from physical plant issues, as well as existing overcrowding subsequently resulting in the District being unable to deliver its educational program.
"The new Brightwood Elementary School will mean a better learning and teaching location for students and teachers," stated Executive Director/Deputy CEO McCarthy.
The MSBA partners with Massachusetts communities to support the design and construction of educationally appropriate, flexible, sustainable and cost-effective public school facilities. Since its 2004 inception, the Authority has made over 1,750 site visits to more than 250 school districts as part of its due diligenceprocess and has made over $13.1 billion in reimbursements for school construction projects.
