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SPENCER – Voters will have the chance to add funding to the David Prouty High School renovation project while reducing the burden on local taxpayers at the same time, officials explained at a recent meeting.
A special town meeting set to take up the question of whether to spend additional state funding was postponed from Tuesday due to weather and is now slated for 7 p.m., Thursday (Feb. 15, 2024).
While the process is confusing, school officials explained that because of inflation, the state revisited funding for nearly 30 school building projects across the state, including the one at David Prouty. The result was a grant program to help cities and towns finance the school projects and Prouty is in line to receive $7.2 million in additional funding.
It’s the first time a program like this has been put in place, Selectman Ralph Hicks, a former school superintendent, said.
The Spencer project was scaled back to keep it within budget as inflation pushed construction costs up. Several key items were scaled back or changed including a 40 year roof versus a 20 year roof, the use of concrete instead of asphalt, windows in the gymnasium and other items.
In the end, while voters approved the $111,587,000 project, as costs rose, they were getting less for their money.
Now, they’ll be asked to decide whether they want to use some of the state funding to add back items that were taken away to keep costs down.
The article they’ll be asked to approve seeks additional borrowing, but in reality, the Massachusetts School Building Authority funds will be used to offset the increase.
And since the schools won’t use the entire $7.2 million being offered by the state, the impact on the tax rate for Spencer voters is expected to be reduced.
School Superintendent Paul Haughey said that move would allow the construction of the “project we promised Town Meeting (voters who approved the spending in 2022.)”
The move doesn’t mean the two towns in the district, Spencer and East Brookfield, will be handed checks, Haughey explained. The savings comes because the state is picking up more of the tab.
East Brookfield officials decided against a Town Meeting and instead are waiting 60 days, after which the state will consider that move as an approval to accept the money.
School officials said they would spend about $4.5 million leaving $2.7 to reduce the impact to taxpayers.
Haughey said if voters turn down the funding, the project costs would remain the same and the funds would stay with the state.
Selectmen were also asked to approve a ballot vote for the matter but with 3 in favor and two opposed, the motion failed because a two-thirds approval was needed. While a debt exclusion requires both a town meeting and a ballot vote, Haughey explained that state officials did not deem that a requirement since the towns had already approved the funding.
Also on the warrant for the Town Meeting is a request from the town’s fire department for funds to increase the wages and general expenses line items. Voters will also be asked to add to the so-called Reserve Fund which is used for unforeseen expenses.
The meeting begins at 7 p.m. at Sencer Memorial Town Hall, 157 Main St. A quorum of 50 registered voters is required to conduct business at the meeting.
