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2022-2 STM APPROPRIATION COXMTTEE 4 APRIL 2022 Warrant Article Analysis and Recommendations 2022-2 SPECIAL TOWN MEETING Article 2 Appropriate for Lexington High School Feasibility Study Funds Requested Funding Source Committee Recommendation $1,825,000 GF Debt Approve (8-0) This article seeks funding to perform a feasibility study, under the process established by the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA), regarding the renovation or rebuilding of Lexington High School (LHS). Current Conditions at Lexington High School The physical facilities of LHS suffer from a number of shortcomings in terms of classroom space and functionality. The most recent major renovation of LHS was completed in 2003. One goal during that renovation was to prepare the facility to properly accommodate up to 1,850 students, but the enrollment at LHS is now over 2,200 students. A 2014 project added 15 modular classrooms to the campus, but those additions were primarily for classroom space and did not address overcrowding in the cafeterias,gyms,hallways, and other core areas. The condition of many of the building systems is also poor. For example, full and proper functioning of the heating and ventilating systems was not achieved in the year-2000 project. Subsequent proposals to upgrade these systems came with cost estimates in the range from 10 to 20 million dollars. Renovations at that scale were deferred due to concerns that they would be superseded by a more comprehensive project with MSBA support. We note that, even if the MSBA project proceeds,the existing LHS buildings may require some significant maintenance over the next few years. Given the state of the LHS facilities, and following the construction of the new Hastings Elementary School, the new building for Lexington Children's Place, and work on the Diamond and Clarke Middle Schools, the School Master Planning Advisory Committee (MPAC) advised the School Committee and School Department that replacement or comprehensive renovation of LHS should be the number one goal in regard to school facilities. Partnering with the Massachusetts School Building Authority The extraordinary cost of a project to renovate or replace LHS will make it highly desirable to form a partnership with the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA), a state agency that provides significant funding for design and construction of new and renovated school buildings in the Commonwealth. In previous partnerships with the Town,the MSBA has reimbursed about 30%of qualified design and construction costs. Initiating a partnership with the MSBA begins with the submittal of a Statement of Interest(SOI), in which a school district lays out the existing conditions and anticipated needs of a school building. The School Department submitted an SOI for Lexington High School to the MSBA in early 2019, and renewed the submittal in early 2020, but neither of these submittals was selected for further action by the MSBA. Following a third submittal of the SOI in early 2021,the MSBA voted to invite the Town of Lexington into its Eligibility Period on March 2, 2022. The MSBA follows a formal 8-module cycle for each project. The Eligibility Period, the first module in the cycle, is a 270 day window during which a school district must complete several requirements. These include confirmation of community authorization, approval of funding for a feasibility study, and the formation of a School Building Committee. The Eligibility Period formally begins on June 1, 2022, so the Town has until February 27, 2023 to complete the necessary requirements. After the Eligibility Period requirements are fulfilled, the Town may then execute a Feasibility Study Agreement (FSA) with the MSBA, which establishes a process for the Town to be reimbursed by the MSBA for eligible expenses. The funds requested under this article cannot be used prior to the execution of the FSA. 2