BOSTON, MA – On Wednesday, the Massachusetts School Building Authority’s (“MSBA's”) Facilities Assessment Subcommittee -- including State Treasurer Steven Grossman and Executive Director Katherine Craven -- met with representatives from the City of North Adams and their consultants to review progress made on the preliminary plans to address the middle school needs of the City. The Subcommittee is composed of members of the MSBA’s Board of Directors and meets regularly to hear district presentations regarding proposed projects and provide feedback to districts before a project is presented to the full Board for its consideration. A review by the Facilities Assessment Subcommittee is a critical milestone on the path to full approval by the MSBA Board of Directors.
In addition to the Treasurer and Executive Director, MSBA Board members Terry Kwan, Christine Lynch and Richard Bertman were in attendance. Representing the City were Mayor Richard Alcombright, Superintendent James Montepere and School Business Manager Nancy Ziter. Carl Weber from Strategic Building solutions and Margo Jones from Margo Jones Architects, Inc. presented options to address the facility deficiencies including potential renovations and/or additions to Sullivan, Greylock and Conte Middle Schools.
“We understand the district’s desire to use all the space available to them and are cognizant of the potential benefits of revitalizing downtown North Adams,” said Treasurer Steven Grossman, Chairman of the MSBA. “We will continue to work with North Adams to hone the scope and budget of this project so that the final plan suits both the educational needs of the children and the financial constraints of city and state taxpayers.”
“There is still a great deal of work to be done, but having MSBA Board members review and offer input at this early stage of the process will assure that we develop the most educationally appropriate and fiscally sensible solution to the middle school needs of the City of North Adams,” said Katherine Craven.
The MSBA strives to find the right-sized, most fiscally responsible and educationally appropriate solutions to create safe and sound learning environments. The MSBA is committed to protecting the taxpayer’s dollar by improving the school building grant process and avoiding the mistakes of the past in the funding and construction of schools. The MSBA reformed the Commonwealth’s formerly rampant and unsustainable program, which was more than $11 billion in debt. The MSBA has made $7.5 billion in reimbursements to cities, towns and regional school districts for school construction projects. These timely payments have saved municipalities over $2.9 billion in avoided local interest costs and have provided much needed cash flow to communities.