Will Nauset high school be rebuilt? Polls open Jan. 10 for more renovation money
Voters in the four towns that make up Nauset Regional School District will decide on Jan. 10 whether to approve extra funding to cover the increased cost of renovations to the 1972-built high school.
In March 2021, residents in Orleans, Eastham, Wellfleet and Brewster backed the Nauset Regional High School building project. The high school is in North Eastham, and has a student population of 780.
Voters in Eastham, Orleans, and Wellfleet overwhelmingly approved the project by 79%, 74%, and 88%, respectively. In Brewster, which will pay nearly 48% of the costs of the capital project, 60% of voters said yes.
The school's overhaul was first budgeted as $131.8 million, according to a cost estimate in 2019. Of that estimate, $104.9 million was budgeted for construction.
The Massachusetts School Building Authority will contribute about $36 million to the project in grant funding.
But then the project faced delays due to the pandemic. When bids for construction came in October, the lowest bidder — Brait Builders, which won the bid — came in at $134.4 million, representing a $29.7 million increase from the 2019 cost estimate.
More:Nauset high school bids are $20M over budget. What this means for renovation
The escalation of the cost stems from many factors, including labor shortages, material supply problems, and transportation.
The Nauset public school system does not stand alone in its challenges, said Christopher Easley, the chairman of the regional school committee and a School Building Committee member, on Dec. 19 to the Eastham Select Board.
"It is just a statement of the times we live in," Easley said.
The School Building Committee recommended to the Nauset Regional School Committee that the district go back to the voters to request the extra funding.
Two questions will be up for consideration on Jan. 10, according to the district: one from the school district asking whether to move ahead with the project, and another from each town looking to establish a debt exclusion for the amount of money.
What is the Nauset school building project?
The project has two parts: the renovation and addition to the high school and the establishment of temporary learning spaces through a series of modular classrooms.
The modular classrooms will allow for learning during the main building project.
In 2014, school officials began to ponder what to do about the aging Nauset Regional High School, which they say is in need of millions of dollars in repairs to bring it up to the current building code.
More:Form, function and a Nauset High renovation
They decided the best route was a combination of both rebuilding and renovating the building.
In 2015, the district applied to be a part of the Massachusetts School Building Authority school building program, but was rejected. The district was accepted when it applied again in the fall of 2016.
Spring town meeting voters approved a $1.3 million feasibility study in 2017, the first step in the state building authority program.
From 2017 to 2019, school officials underwent a two-year design process.
If approved, what would the new high school cost taxpayers?
The decision on the terms of the bond for the project will be made in May in conjunction with the town administrators and finance directors, said Judith Schumacher, who is the regional school committee vice chairwoman. School officials will also have a better idea of what the interest rate will be then.
"The regional school committee is the borrower," said Schumacher.
A 30-year level debt bond at a 4.65% interest rate would cost Brewster taxpayers $67.87 per $100,000 of assessed value, according to an estimate. In Eastham, the cost would be $38.42, Orleans $37.41, and Wellfleet $29.55.
A 25-year bond with a 4.5% interest rate, would see Brewster taxpayers paying $87.91 per $100,000 of assessed value. Eastham taxpayers would pay $51.70, Orleans $40.38, and Wellfleet $40.10.
"This is not for the $38.1 million, this is for the whole thing," said Schumacher. "We're looking at the whole maximum amount if we borrowed $133 million."
What happens if the Jan. 10 vote is not approved?
If the vote is not successful, all work on the school project will stop and the $36.6 million in MSBA grant funds will be lost, according to the district, and the school will continue to require maintenance until a permanent solution is found. The district would also lose the Brait Builders bid.
About $28 million have already been spent or committed for work.
"There is no less expensive solution, not now and not in the future," said Schumacher.
The district also has a bond anticipation note of $27 million that is due on June 23, of which at least $24 million has already been spent. A $24 million to $27 million bond to cover this debt will have to be issued.
Where and how to vote on Jan. 10
Polls will be open on Jan. 10 from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. for the district-wide vote at the Wellfleet Adult Community Center, Orleans Council on Aging, Fellowship Hall at the Brewster Baptist Church, and Eastham Town Hall.
Mail-in voting is allowed, but the deadlines to apply have already passed.
Mail-in ballots must be received by the close of the polling places that day.
Zane Razzaq writes about housing and real estate. Reach her at zrazzaq@capecodonline.com. Follow her on Twitter @zanerazz.
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This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Special election on Nauset High extra renovation funding is Jan. 10
