By Melanie Petrucci, Senior Community Reporter
Shrewsbury – Selectman Jim Kane gave a brief update relevant to the Beal School Project at the board’s March 14 meeting.
Presently the focus of the project is the design of the building and Kane reported that it is being modeled after the Sherwood Middle School design.
“The policy question that requires this board to focus on is the question of Centech North and Glavin,” Kane explained. “The reality is we don’t have all the technical data back yet regarding soils and anything that might be in the soils and the variety of due diligence that you take to make a move. We are hoping to have not only the wetlands nailed down primarily relevant to Centech North, but also the question of vernal pools regardless of whether the school is recommended to go there, understanding that vernal pools are still critically important to the town.”
Kane then informed the board that numbers from the Massachusetts Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance (DCAMM) are in on the costs to acquire Glavin. They are estimated at just under $3 million including mitigation of hazardous materials and demolition.
He noted that there may be some grant opportunities from the commonwealth to mitigate these costs, but they are not part of Massachusetts School Building Authority funding.