Building committee recommends new elementary at Alta Vista site and combined Kennedy-Joyce middle school; outlines high cost estimates and MSBA path

WOBURN — Members of the school committee heard a detailed report from the mayor-appointed building committee (BCPC) on May 20 recommending large-scale construction projects and urging the district to pursue MSBA assistance.

The BCPC synthesized a 2023 feasibility study and site visits and recommended that the city construct a new elementary school on the Alta Vista site to replace the Alta Vista and Linscott schools, consolidating those attendance zones into a single modern elementary facility. The committee also recommended that the city pursue construction to replace or combine the Kennedy and Joyce middle schools into a single project and that the district seek MSBA participation for the larger middle-school project.

The BCPC presentation included condition assessments and cost estimates (figures are from the committee’s 2023 synthesis and were presented as estimates): critical repairs to several buildings were estimated at roughly $121,000,000 as of the report’s date; bringing specific buildings to current code and functional standards was itemized as approximately $44,000,000 for the Kennedy and $43,000,000 for the Joyce, with Alta Vista at about $19,000,000 and Linscott at about $15,000,000 for critical repairs. For full replacement projects, the committee cited combined cost ranges: Alta Vista/Linscott with an attached early childhood program (ECP) estimated at $95,000,000–$112,000,000; Kennedy and Joyce combined at $168,000,000–$212,000,000 (pre-MSBA assistance). A stand-alone ECP was cited at approximately $33,000,000.

John Curran’s financial analysis, which the BCPC adopted, concluded that delay increases costs and recommended proceeding sooner for the elementary project to avoid escalation. The presentation noted the difference between a debt exclusion (temporary tax to fund capital debt) and an override (permanent tax change), and the BCPC recommended the city pursue the MSBA funding process for the larger projects because of scale and potential state support.

Committee members discussed MSBA rules and timing, including questions about whether MSBA would fund a stand-alone ECP; the administration said MSBA typically funds larger school projects rather than a stand-alone ECP, and that attaching an ECP to a larger building is the more likely path to state participation.

No committee vote endorsing the BCPC recommendations occurred at the meeting. Several members expressed support for advancing discussion with the city council and mayor’s office and for preparing a statement of interest (SOI) to MSBA if the committee and city decide to pursue that path. Members also noted that public outreach and explanation to taxpayers would be needed.

The BCPC report and cost estimates were presented for information and to guide future deliberations; the committee indicated it will schedule follow-up discussion and potential votes at a later meeting.