FAQ

The town will vote on November 7th on a debt exclusion measure for both the school and the pool. This debt exclusion gives the town the ability to  finance the school and pool projects using municipal bonding without affecting the Town’s tax levy (i.e. ability to fund municipal operations and/or additional capital projects) up to the levy ceiling established by Proposition 2-1/2  (the pool is a separate measure and cannot pass without the school passing). After the vote, it is up to the town council and financial advisors to decide how and when they will seek bonds for the construction of the school and pool.

Below is a timeline based on how things might look and how other town's have done things in similar situations seeking bonds for construction of a new school.

• Vote - November 7

  • Over the first 1-2 years the town will seek bonds for the construction

    • These bonds are typically not for the full amount of the school

    • These are typically short term bonds that are less expensive than long term bonds.

    • Construction bonds are typically no to low interest during the construction phase

    • The impact to the tax payer may be lower to start based on these factors

• Construction Completed and Students Enter Building - Fall 2026

  • The Town Council, with the help of the financial advisors, will go out to the bond market to seek a bond or bonds to fund the local share of the project

It is important to remember a few important things. 1) During the period of this bond there are other debts the town of East Longmeadow holds that may fall off. 2) After a certain amount of time, typically 9-10 years, the town will have the option to re-bond or refinance, not unlike someone would with a home loan. This re-bonding could reduce the principal and interest rate associated with the current bond. 3) As more homes are built and businesses move to town the tax implications to each individual will fluctuate.

The School Building Committee explored a base repair/code upgrade option and a major addition/renovation option and found that cost savings were outweighed by the educational outcomes and long term operational benefits of an entirely new school designed to meet the District and community’s needs.

Specific downsides to a base repair/code upgrade option were:

• Poor overall plan organization

• Results in undersized classrooms

• Results in lowered ceiling heights to accommodate installation of ventilation and sprinklers

• Security concerns associated with entry and exit locations and site control

• Variance requirements for accessibility issues

• Continued reliance on natural gas boilers

• Continued operational expense associated with less efficient building design

• Requirement to relocate students and staff during two year renovation process

There would be many challenges bringing the building up to code and would result in smaller than current classroom sizes and floor-to-floor heights.

Generally, the IEBC (International Existing Building Code) rule of thumb is that when an alteration of a building involves more than 30% of the building, or costs more than 30% of the assessed value of the building, than the building has to comply with current life safety (meaning fire protection and egress), accessibility and energy code requirement.  A school of this age and condition with this level of renovation needs easily surpasses both the area and cost thresholds and is assumed by the Design Team to be a Level 3 Alteration that would need to meet IEBC's code upgrade requirements.  A Level 3 alteration also triggers a requirement for seismic assessment and the likelihood of an upgrade of the structural system to meet current seismic requirements.

• Construction of an entirely new high school that meets the District’s educational vision 

• A welcoming and accessible building and site 

• A new auditorium for music, drama and large assemblies

• New science, engineering, media and culinary arts labs

• A media center designed around 21st century learning

• A school designed to support the needs of diverse learners

• A safer and greener parking and circulation plan

• A new press box and concession stand

• Updates of recreation fields, including softball fields, tennis courts, and basketball courts

• A new, separately funded six-lane community pool and locker rooms

• Outdoor teaching areas and indoor community meeting spaces

• Inclusion of District Central Offices, IT Department, and ELCAT Studio 

• Inclusion of a large rooftop solar array, EV charging stations and ahighly efficient mechanical system

• A school and site that is LEED certified and meets East Longmeadow’s Green Community standards

• Up-to-date instructional technology and furnishings

• A school that is air conditioned and efficiently heated and supported by an emergency generator

The Town and SBC actively explored alternate locations for the Central Offices, IT Department, and ELCAT Studio. However, no alternate spaces were available within the Town's current properties. Therefore, new offices would have to be purchased and fit out to house these offices. Town Council and the SBC ultimately felt that moving these programs out of the Project would lead to more cost and logistical complexity for East Longmeadow.

The MSBA does not participate in the funding of a pool in school construction projects. The East Longmeadow Pool Building Committee has been established and the JWA/SMMA design team have been hired to design for a six-lane community pool building adjacent to the new high school, as a separate project on the same schedule. The new pool will require a separate funding vote at the same time as the vote to approve the ELHS Building Project. The two projects are anticipated to be completed at the same time, if approved by the voters.

The existing High School will remain fully occupied during construction which results in no modular classrooms or swing-space. It will be the top priority and utmost importance to limit the disruption to students. The Construction Manager at Risk (Firm TBD) and Project Team will be working with the School Administration to mitigate noise, vibration, and dust, and ease of access during the construction process.

One major reason why the base repair/code upgrade and renovation options were rejected by the SBC is that these options would have required relocating students to modular classrooms at the expense of the District.

The MSBA is reimbursing East Longmeadow at a rate of 61.95% of eligible costs. This is higher than the original rate of reimbursement because the District has opted to pursue a higher level of sustainable building design and indoor air quality, and has been rewarded an additional 1% because of good maintenance practices. 

However, only $99.M of the project costs are eligible for MSBA reimbursement. Below is a list of the most significant MSBA’s cost eligibility limits.

1. Construction reimbursement limit: $393 per square foot. 

2. Site work reimbursement limit:  $39 per square foot.

3. OPM fee reimbursement limit: 3.5% of construction costs (MSBA participation cap at $550 per sf)

4. Designer fee reimbursement limit: 10% of construction costs (MSBA participation cap at $550 per sf)

5. Furniture Fixtures and Equipment (FF&E) reimbursement limit: $1,200/student based on eligible enrollment number. 

Additionally, there are limits on specific costs associated with legal fees, temp facilities, moving costs and abatement of hazardous materials. 

Finally, there are square footage limitations. While almost all of the square footage of the high school is eligible for reimbursement at a rate of 61.95% of $393/sf, the District Offices, ELCAT and Town IT square footage is not eligible and all of the cost of these areas is paid for by the District.

The MSBA is a state grant program funded through sales tax revenue as designated to do so by the MA Legislature. The MSBA is itself capped by the Legislature in how much money it can distribute to school construction projects. There are over 2800 schools in the Commonwealth and in any given year there are 30-40 applications to the Core Grant Program. Only 10-15 core projects can be funded at one time. These funding limits allow the MSBA to distribute state grant monies more widely while focusing grant funding on costs that have the greatest potential to improve educational outcomes.

Yes, the industry standard is to escalate to the midpoint of construction. Construction contingencies are also included to account for escalation.

The East Longmeadow High School Project encompasses all aspects of the planning and construction of the High School, including the selection of the Owner's Project Manager (OPM), designer, and contractor, as well as oversight of the project.

The Town of East Longmeadow is participating in the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) process for the design and construction of a new High School. Acceptance to the MSBA program does not guarantee state funding. The MSBA approval process must be completed successfully for the state via the MSBA to provide significant financial assistance to the project.

In June 2021, the Town approved funds for the East Longmeadow High School Feasibility Study. The final product of the Feasibility Study will be a construction project proposal for which the Town must approve funding via a Town Vote.

The School Building Committee represents school and town leadership, School Committee, Facilities Department, educators, architects, residents, industry professionals, parents, town meeting members, and more. The Building Committee meets monthly in the School Committee Conference room and via Zoom. The meetings are open to the public, and participation is encouraged.

The  Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) is a funding partner for the East Longmeadow HS project and projects across the Commonwealth.

The Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) is a quasi-independent government authority created to reform the process of funding capital improvement projects in the Commonwealth's public schools. The MSBA strives to work with local communities to develop affordable, sustainable, and energy-efficient schools across Massachusetts.

 The Legislature created the MSBA in 2004 to replace the former school building assistance program administered by the Department of Education (now the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education).

The MSBA, which has a dedicated revenue stream of one penny of the state's 6.25-percent sales tax, is collaborating with municipalities to equitably invest in finding the right-sized, most fiscally responsible, and educationally appropriate solutions to create safe, sound, and sustainable learning environments.

The MSBA offered East Longmeadow HS a grant opportunity for the following reasons:

• Most academic spaces are undersized relative to Massachusetts School Building Authority  guidelines.

• Technology and Special Education areas are substantially undersized.

• Science labs lack current technology and fail to meet current educational standards.

• Electrical systems are at capacity and frequently fail to meet basic electrical needs of the school.

• Transformer overheats, causing power outages and disruption of classes.

• School HVAC systems do not meet current ventilation requirements and lack central air conditioning

• Roof is out of warranty and deteriorating, resulting in leaks and causing classrooms and corridors to be closed temporarily.

• Old asbestos tiling, adhesives and insulation are becoming worn presenting a possible health hazard.

• Windows and doors are poorly performing and far below current code requirements causing significant energy loss.

Convoluted Circulation

The building has been updated a few times. As a result from the different eras of construction the design and usability of the building can be very difficult to navigate

Hazardous Materials

The building was built in 1960. The use of hazardous materials was typical when the building was initially built and when updates were made.

The Roof

The roof of the building has been deteriorating and is now to the point that every time it rains ceiling tiles are falling, rain is coming into the building, and the school has to shut down entire sections of the building.

Electrical, Mechanical, & Plumbing

The electrical, mechanical, and plumbing systems throughout the school are outdated. It won't be long before these systems won't be able to be repaired. To repair the electrical, mechanical, and plumbing systems a lot of additional work would have to be done, including updating the infrastructure of the building.

Classroom Size

Many of the classrooms are under sized and outdated in form and design. According to MSBA size expectations approximately have of the classrooms are undersized by 5% or more. Most of the undersized spaces are well over the 5% MSBA guideline.

MAAB / ADA Compliance

The current building does not meet ADA compliance in numerous locations throughout.

Ten (10) business days following the failed vote the district must submit to the MSBA a plan that presents the vote results and a request for a 120 day extension to explore other bonding mechanisms or to re-vote the debt exclusion. The MSBA will review the plan and determine whether it will continue to set aside MSBA funds for the proposed project. 

If the Town is not able to meet its share of the Scope and Budget Agreement the MSBA will typically close the project and the district will be required to submit a new Statement of Interest to the MSBA and await a new invitationto enter the Eligibility Period phase of the MSBA’s Core Program. Because of the backlog of projects waiting to enter the Core Program it can take 5+ years to restart the process.  If a second SOI invitation is granted to East Longmeadow for a second high school project, the MSBA will not participate in the cost of the Feasibility Study and Schematic Design. 

East Longmeadow has an opportunity to receive approximately $55M in reimbursement for the current proposed new high school (based on rough calculations projected from the PSR estimate and standard funding caps). The MSBACore Program is the most sought-after reimbursement program for school building construction projects in the Commonwealth because of the size of the grants. The MSBA typically receives 50-75 Statement of Interests (SOI’s) per year. Ten to twelve are invited into the Core Program.East Longmeadow waited six years to be accepted into the program after its submission of a Statement of Interest for the High School. 

In the event that East Longmeadow fails to approve its share of the funding for the project, and is removed from the MSBA Core Program, then East Longmeadow would be faced with paying all of the cost of aa new project, a series of  piecemeal smaller capital projects undertaken of a number of years.  The current building is 63 years old.  Following the traditional Capital Planning Process, the following separate capital projects would become necessary:

• Full Roof Replacement

• Full Replacement of Failing systems, starting with the electrical with the mechanical and plumbing to follow

• Abatement project to address hazardous materials in aging finishes and systems

• Installation of sprinkler systems and replacement/lowering of ceilings to accommodate sprinklers

• Renovation of site and building to address accessibility issues

• Continued dependence on aging instructional technology and replacement in parts over time

• Continued dependence on undersized science labs, undersized gymnasium and undersized special education spaces.

• Continued loss of students to School Choice and Charter

• Possible reduction in property values

• Possible reduction in State education funding

• Risk of NEASC accreditation for educational programming

In October the MSBA Board of Directors will review and approve the MSBA's grant offer to the East Longmeadow School District for the proposed high school and a  Project Scope and Budget Agreement will be signed.  The terms of that grant are known (as of Sept. 21, 2023).  The maximum MSBA grant to the project is $63,197,430. East Longmeadow's Town Council and bond council are reviewing the terms for the bond that will pay for the community's share of the project cost, which is now set at $114,263,222.

A debt exclusion vote to approve borrowing for the project is scheduled for November 7, 2023.

If successful, the Designer will continue to detail the construction documents.   Additional cost estimates will check the status of the project costs during the development of the construction documents to be sure that the project does not exceed the agreed to project budget.  A construction manager will be brought on board during this phase to review the documents and plan for the construction process.

In the current design and proposed schedule, the new East Longmeadow High School would be in use by September 2026, followed by a year of demolition and site work on the existing school footprint.

The MSBA will contribute $63,197,430 to the project from revenue raised from state-wide sales taxes. The MSBA grant is a contribution to the project that focuses on core educational and operational space needs. The MSBA grant program is not designed to pay the entire project cost.

The community of East Longmeadow will pay the remainder of the project cost, $114,263,22. Town voters must agree to a “debt exclusion” to allow the Town Council to secure the bonds(debt) for the project.  A “debt exclusion” is a temporary increase in property taxes to pay for a specific debt or capital expense such as a building construction project.  A debt exclusion is not permanent.  When the project has been paid for, the temporary increase in property taxes will be revoked and taxes reduced.

Schematic Design has been completed. This means that the layout of spaces and selection of systems, construction methods and materials has been completed.  In the next year the architects and engineers will continue to detail the spaces and prepare construction documents. They will continue to make adjustments to the plans to accommodate the input of students, staff, building officials and members of the School Building Committee.  The Design Team will work with consultants to optimize the design of structure, systems and site and will continue to have cost estimators review the project costs to remain below the project budget.

The School Building Committee will continue to host community meetings to share updates as design and construction unfold.

Yes.  The updated Schematic Design Plans and Elevations show the design intent and was developed in collaboration with the School Building Committee, faculty, students and community.  If funding is approved, the Design Team will work further for a year to detail the design and develop construction documents.

The primary goal for this high school project is designing through the lens of students and staff, the primary users of the campus.  The current design strives to balance a student-oriented and pedestrian friendly campus, while providing adequate vehicular circulation, parking, and emergency access.  Driveways and parking surrounding the entire perimeter of the building detracts from the connection to outdoor learning and social spaces and can be a safety concern.  The school staff, students and community have voiced a strong desire to connect the new building and outdoor student spaces to nature - the wooded areas and resource areas to the south.  To achieve this goal, the current site layout seeks to limit vehicle circulation and parking generally to the north half of the site and keep the areas around the southern half (adjacent to the outdoor student spaces) more pedestrian friendly, while still providing adequate emergency access.  Visitors to the athletic fields will be able to use the staff parking lot at the front of the building as well as the parking lot to the west of the building and access the fields using the paths provided.  We have also incorporated a limited number of accessible parking spaces at the end of Norden Street to provide closer access to the western fields for those with limited mobility.