PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The MSBA approved funding the Taconic High School project.

 

The Massachusetts School Building Authority's Board of Directors voted on Wednesday morniong in favor of granting the city up to $74.2 million to build a new school on the existing Valentine Road site. 

 

"Upon completion, the new school in Pittsfield will provide a modern learning environment for the city's students," state Treasurer Deborah Goldberg said in a release Wednesday afternoon.

 

"Our goal is create the best space to deliver the district's educational commitments and goals."

 

The City Council unanimously approved the $120.8 million building project in April.

 

"It feels good. This is what we worked hard for," said School Building Needs Commission Chairwoman Kathleen Amuso on Wednesday afternoon as she traveled back from the morning MSBA meeting in Boston.

 

Mayor Daniel Bianchi characterizes the project as both an educational and an economic development initiative. The vocational offerings is a piece toward reinvigorating the advanced manufacturing and life science industry, he said.

 

"We are extremely pleased that it happened. But today's meeting was a culmination of years of work," Bianchi said. 

 

The MSBA is providing an 80 percent reimbursement rate on costs deemed eligible by its program. In total, about 60 percent of the entire project is being paid for by the state because the project entails a number of ineligible costs. The reimbursement totals fluctuated somewhat over the course of the preliminary design work as more details emerged about ineligible costs. Additionally, the percentage is somewhat based on the use of a contingency fund built into the budget.

 

Superintendent Jason McCandless said the MSBA's commitment to the project is about what he expected.

 

"I think this is a great day for the whole region," McCandless said.

 

Now, the city is preparing to release bidding documents to bring on a construction manager. At the same time, Drumney Rosane & Anderson Architects Inc. will get even deeper into design details.

 

The project managers, Skanska USA, and DRA will both assist in the process to hire a construction manager at risk. The consultants will determine if the bidders are qualified to do such a project and Amuso said a team from the School Building Needs Commission will be organized to perform interviews. 

 

She said the construction manager should be hired by the end of July.

 

The building will be 246,520 square-feet to accommodate 920 students. It will built over a two-year period across the driveway from the current building, which was constructed in 1969. That building will be razed. More details on the project can be found here and here.

 

"The new Taconic High School will replace an aging building with an up-to-date,  21st-century learning facility," said MSBA Executive Director Jack McCarthy. "Students will soon have a beautiful new space which will undoubtedly enhance and improve their ability to excel in the classroom."

 

The construction is expected to begin in early 2016 and be open in the fall of 2018.

 

"I would encourage people to still be involved and when we have public meetings, to keep up to date," Bianchi said.