School officials hope to fast-track roof project
By Ken Powers Contributing Writer

Northborough - The roof of the Lincoln Street School has deteriorated so rapidly the Northborough School Department has petitioned the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) in hopes of putting the project on a fast track.

Acting Superintendent Charles Gobron told the Board of Selectmen at its June 25 meeting that the roof of the school needs to be fixed as soon as possible.

"The district had the Lincoln Street School roof inspected recently," Gobron told the board, "after which we were informed by the inspectors that the roof could handle one more winter, but that's it."

The cost of a new roof, Gobron said, will be about $950,000.

Gobron said inspectors also confirmed what the district already knew, that the school's roof leaks and was deteriorating at an alarming rate.

As a result, Gobron said an additional request - the School Department already has a renovation request for the school before the MSBA - was being sent to the state.

Gobron asked the board for its support at the June 25 meeting because, he said, he wanted to be ready to be able to present the request to the MSBA at the earliest possible day following the beginning of the new fiscal year, which began July 1. The moratorium on funding new school construction or school renovation projects was to be terminated in conjunction with the beginning of the new fiscal year, he said.

The need for a second request regarding the Lincoln Street School project, Gobron explained, is to highlight the dire need for the roof to be replaced.

"We have come to the conclusion that, because the roof has fallen into such a great state of disrepair, we would like to amend our request before July 1 and present it to the MSBA on July 2," he said. "We're hoping, by doing that, that we will get further consideration by the MSBA."

The original request focused on the overall renovation of the building and centered on ways to eliminate or prevent the severe overcrowding expected when the AvalonBay housing project is built, as well as replacing the heating system or making the current one more energy efficient.

Because the state ranks projects based on priority factors, Gobron said, he was worried the current request would not get the project the priority rating necessary to get the roof replaced in time for the 2008-2009 academic year.

Gobron decided to make the additional request and highlight the need to have the roof replaced after discussing the issue with MSBA officials, he said.

The condition of the roof, Gobron said, fits a Priority 1 Project.

"The MSBA describes a Priority 1 Project as the replacing or renovation of a building which is structurally unsound or otherwise in a condition seriously jeopardizing the health and safety of school children, where no alternative exists, as determined in the judgment of the [Massachusetts School Building] Authority," he explained.

Following discussion on the matter, the MSBA encouraged the School Department to amend the application, he said.

"They made it clear that they weren't making any promises," Gobron said, "but they told us it couldn't hurt and it may move us up the list."

If the state doesn't approve the project, Gobron said the district, in all likelihood, would be forced to go ahead and do the work itself.

"If that happens our hope would be that when we eventually renovate the building we would get reimbursed for the roof, but there's no guarantee for that, either," Gobron said.

The board voted unanimously to support the amended application requesting the new roof.