EAST LONGMEADOW – Two weeks after the East Longmeadow School Committee shared that the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) denied funding to the town to build a new High School for the fifth year in a row, the Committee unanimously voted to re-apply for funding at the Jan. 22 meeting.

Superintendent Gordon Smith explained to the School Committee as well as a number of attendees that there are a number of formal steps the Committee has to go through in the process of receiving funding from the MSBA for a new High School. Outlining them, he explained first the School Committee would have to vote in favor of submitting a new statement of interest. Following this vote, the Town Council will also have to vote in favor of submitting a new statement of interest. This vote, Smith noted, is slated for the Feb. 12 Town Council meeting.

Continuing, Smith shared that should the MSBA select the town for a project, the town would then be invited into the eligibility period. Following the eligibility period, there is a forming of the project team, a feasibility study, schematic design, project funding, detailed design, construction, and subsequently the completion of a project.

Smith explained that there had been productive discussion over the two weeks from when the announcement of not receiving funding and the Jan. 22 meeting, and much of the discussion had centered on possibly looking for individuals who were experienced with the process of the MSBA as well as in the field of construction and design. These individuals would be able to look at the statement of interest with the idea of providing insight.

“At each of these phases...there are a number of structured steps that you have to follow. But that would be the next big moment for the town in terms of actually appropriating funding toward this project which means we’d be into their process and hopefully going along similarly to their accelerated repair process, which very much matches its name, it’s very much accelerated compared to the CORE program,” Smith said.

Smith closed the discussion and the School Committee voted to authorize a statement of interest for a new High School dated on or before April 12. This topic will now move on to the Town Council’s Feb. 12 meeting.

The statement of interest that the District submitted to the MSBA is available on the East Longmeadow website on the School Committee tab under “district information.” The PDF is labeled, “MSBA Statement of Interest 2018 for ELHS.” It also can be found at this direct link: https://www.eastlongmeadowma.gov/DocumentCenter/View/7460/Statement-of-Interest-for-East-Longmeadow-High-School-April-2018?bidId=