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Shared‑campus plan with Northern Essex Community College advances; feasibility study funding and letters sought
Summary
District business manager told the committee a nearly 100‑page report recommends a shared campus model with Northern Essex Community College; the district must fund a $2–2.5 million feasibility study and will seek signed letters from member communities by July 1.
The Whittier Regional Vocational Technical district received an update on a proposed shared campus partnership with Northern Essex Community College (NECC) and next steps for state review.
Mr. Reagan, the district’s business manager, told the committee a Don Hugh Institute yearlong study recommends pursuing a collaborative shared campus model in which Whittier Tech and NECC would share space and services. The working group that met Feb. 25 included mayors, town managers and councilors from 10 district communities and expressed strong interest in the proposal.
The report — described in the meeting record as nearly 100 pages — recommends amending the regional agreement and developing a new capital funding formula. Mr. Reagan said the district must pay for a feasibility study estimated at $2 million to $2.5 million and that the municipal working group is prioritizing a communications plan and collecting signed commitment letters from the chief executives of member communities. He set a target deadline of July 1 for those signed letters.
Committee members pressed for more detail on the timeline and cost figures. Mr. Reagan said MSBA (Massachusetts School Building Authority) involvement and its related study work may not begin until midsummer, and that precise construction cost estimates were not yet available.
Mr. Reagan said the final report and a press release would be posted on the Whittier Tech and NECC websites when ready. Committee members agreed to continue stakeholder outreach and to review the draft letter and legal language prepared by the district attorney before wider distribution.
No formal vote to commit funds for the feasibility study or to change the regional agreement was recorded at this meeting; Mr. Reagan’s update was informational and intended to guide future decisions.
