State Treasurer Steven Grossman, Chairman of the Massachusetts School Building Authority (“MSBA”), and Jack McCarthy, MSBA Executive Director, today joined state and local officials at a groundbreaking ceremony for the new General John R. Galvin Middle School. The MSBA is contributing a maximum total facilities grant of up to over $34 million of eligible expenses towards the project.
“I am delighted to help break ground on this important project,” Treasurer Grossman said. “Thanks to the MSBA’s successful partnership with Wakefield, students and staff at Galvin Middle School will benefit from a state-of-the-art learning and teaching environment for many years to come.”
“Besides creating much-needed jobs, the Galvin Middle School project will provide Wakefield students with a beautiful new learning space,” Executive Director McCarthy said. “This will undoubtedly enhance and improve their ability to excel in the classroom.”
The new Galvin Middle School will be built based on a design enrollment of 1,070 students in grades 5 through 8. The MSBA will contribute 54.67% of eligible costs toward the construction of the facility, for a total grant of up to $34,689,576. The current school was built in 1954 and suffers from deficiencies in building envelope and in major systems, including mechanical and electrical.
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 $9.7 billion in reimbursements for school capital improvement projects. MSBA reimbursements have saved districts over $2.9 billion in avoided local interest costs and have provided much needed cash flow to communities.