Delaying Approval of EES Will be a Very Costly Error

To the Editor,

The Manchester Essex Regional School District was formed over twenty years ago as one district mutually serving two towns and operating three schools.  

All three of those school buildings, it was acknowledged at the time, would eventually need to be addressed.  As a result, and based on urgency, we have all worked together to rebuild the Middle/High School and Memorial School.  Now, it is time to finish the job and realize the shared vision that brought us together all those years ago by voting to rebuild Essex Elementary School at our upcoming town meetings on November 16 and at the ballot on December 10.

It is shocking to see the $95.3M price tag.  No one can deny that. But waiting does not solve this problem.

Given the high rate of inflation, especially for construction in the Northeast, the cost is only going up.  Based on its age, the condition of Essex Elementary was determined to be one of the worst buildings in the state despite its high level of maintenance.  Fortunately, as a result, we were accepted into the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) program.  The MSBA process has a number of rules and guidelines, but by following them, we are eligible to receive around $21 million in grants from the state that significantly alleviate the burden to taxpayers.

The remaining $74.3M is then split between Essex (~33.36% or $24.8) and Manchester (~66.64% or $49.5) using the standard apportionment formula from the regional agreement.

If we fail to approve the new building, we would still need to bring the current building up to code.  This would cost more than $50 million with no grant money from the state available and no clear indication how long these band-aid fixes will last us.  Even with this investment, the building would still not be suitable for the needs of the District's educational program.

If we have to start the process over again with MSBA, there is no guarantee as to if and when we will be re-accepted into the program.  In the meantime, costs continue to rise.

We would be wise to take a lesson from our neighbors. In Ipswich, when their vote for and MSBA building project failed, they forfeited tens of millions from the state, had to spend nearly $2M on a temporary fix for their leaky roof, and they waited six years to start the MSBA process again Now, they have to spend $2 million on a new feasibility study (starting the process over), and their new school building is projected to cost significantly more while the costs of keeping the old building repaired are rising.  

Hamilton-Wenham also failed to pass a plan to build a consolidated school, forfeiting more tens of millions in state funding after spending $1.25 million on their feasibility study.

Let's not miss the opportunity to finish what we started when our communities joined together to establish the district.  Please join us in voting yes for a new Essex Elementary School Building at Town Meeting on November 16 and at the Ballot on December 10.

Sarah Wolf and Brian Gressler (writing in his personal capacity)

Essex