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Regional School District 15 weighs sites, costs and state incentives for two new elementary schools
Summary
At a board meeting, trustees reviewed a feasibility study that narrowed possible sites for replacing two aging elementary schools, discussed engineering and septic constraints, and debated whether to pursue state reimbursement that could cut roughly 15% from construction costs; neighbors urged the board to rule out a Roxbury Road parcel.
Regional School District 15 trustees on Monday continued work toward replacing two aging elementary schools, reviewing site analyses, infrastructure constraints and a pair of state reimbursement incentives that officials said could substantially lower the local share of construction costs.
Superintendent Smith told the board that two recently enacted state laws create financial incentives for school construction: a 15% reimbursement on the entire building if the project includes an early‑childhood center, and an additional 15% reimbursement applicable to the square footage for specialized programs. "If we can capture that," Smith said, "that's a significant amount of dollars and savings to the local taxpayer." He cited a district estimate that the gross construction cost for two buildings could approach $200 million and that, after state reimbursement, the community share might be roughly $80 million for both schools combined.
The bulk of the meeting focused on site feasibility. Staff and the district's…
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