Politics & Government

MSBA Approves $3.1M in Grants to Build MHS Science Labs

On Oct. 3 the Massachusetts School Building Authority awarded $3.1 million to Melrose High School for the construction of nine new science labs.

The Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) recently awarded $3.1 million to Melrose High School for the construction of new science labs, according to a report on the Boston Globe website.

On Oct. 3 the MSBA also signed off on plans for a new elementary school in Georgetown and renovation of a middle school in Newburyport, according to the Globe.

In June, Melrose was chosen along with nine other public high schools to receive funding under the MSBA’s Science Labratory Initiative, through which $60 million in federal stimulus money is being used to reimburse school districts with a percentage of the project’s cost, reads the Globe report. The Melrose grant will cover nearly 50 percent of the total project budget of $6.5 million, the Globe reported.

Find out what's happening in Melrosewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

According to City Planner Denise Gaffey, the grants will be used toward the construction of the science labs, technology and software. The same SMART Boards, which are interactive white boards, currently used in science classrooms will be used in the new ones as well, according to Gaffey, because "they aren't incredibly old," she said.

She noted that the project will be bonded over a 20-year period and funds won't need to be raised through taxation. 

Find out what's happening in Melrosewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Gaffey discussed the next steps for the science lab project at the high school.

"We anticipated that vote and we submitted an authorization last week to go in front of the (Melrose Board of) Aldermen and it's moving to the (Appropriations) Committee on Thursday," Gaffey said. "We need them to approve the spending authorization and then we can sign a project funding agreement with the MSBA. That also allows us to sign contract amendments with the design consultants, the architects and the project manager to keep the project moving forward."

According to Gaffey, construction of the science labs would need to begin in February 2013 so the project can be completed by late August and the start of the 2013-2014 school year.

Nine new labs will be created at Melrose High, with seven labs expected to be 1,440 square feet and two labs at 1,200 square feet, according to Gaffey. Currently, there are five classrooms and six class-labs that range in size from 515 to 2,315 square feet, according to Gaffey. 

"We're basically taking the exact same footprint for the wing of the science lab and carving it up differently so now the lab spaces will be more equitable in size and large enough to accommodate a format for labs and a format for teaching," Gaffey said.

During the construction phase of the project, Gaffey said: "The building will be occupied while construction is going on, and we pretty much carve out this wing of the building and hand it over to the contractors and it will be secured."

"The students will be away from that area so there is no conflict with the construction with the contractors," Gaffey said, adding that background checks will be conducted on the contractors to make sure there are no issues there. "What we are working on now is a plan for swing space for those students."

The school department is expected to have a meeting with parents in late October to discuss the project, according to Gaffey. The date and location for the meeting were not immediately available.

Previous coverage:

  • Science Labs State Funding Awarded to MHS
  • City Applying For State Funds For MHS Science Labs


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here