A new Tri-County Vocational School is in Franklin voters' hands. When they'll decide

FRANKLIN — Voters in 11 communities are poised to vote on whether to approve funding construction of a new $286 million school for Tri-County Regional Technical Vocational School that will require about $200 million raised in local taxes and paid over a 30-year bond.

The 11 communities that send students to the school — Franklin, Medfield, Medway, Millis, Norfolk, North Attleboro, Plainville, Seekonk, Sherborn, Walpole and Wrentham — will act as one large community and vote from noon to 8 p.m. next Tuesday.

Tri-County Superintendent of Schools Karen Maguire said the process for a new building began in 2015, when school officials began discussions about applying for help from the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) to fix up the school.

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Tri-County was accepted into the process in December 2019, which meant the MSBA would work with the district to determine its financial and community readiness "to enter the MSBA Capital Pipeline."

In August, the MSBA announced an $80.7 million grant for the new school project.

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Maguire told the Daily News in a recent phone interview that there are "all kinds of things" in the school that need to be fixed.

"There was not much of a need for technology when the school was built — no one in 1973 thought of the internet," she said. "There's so much that's way beyond the school's capacity."

Maguire said the pipes and ducts are within the infrastructure of the building, as opposed to more open concepts that exist today, meaning the school has to close off areas when pipes and ducts need repairs.

The new building will retain the current square-footage per student but will be laid out differently to avoid overcrowding rooms. The new building will also meet Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) codes and will accommodate Tri-County's current enrollment of about 1,000 students.

"(School) systems are failing... the school is also out of code for ADA and there is no fire suppression system," Maguire said.

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Christina Dell Angelo, of Dore + Whittier, the Newburyport-based architect and project management company that's working with Tri-County to manage the project, noted that the current school building has "passed its 50-year life expectancy like many schools in Massachusetts."

"The building does not support learning in the 21st century," she said.

Located off Pond Street in Franklin, Tri-County opened in 1977 and serves students in grades 9-12 as well as night classes to adults. According to the school website, the building was built to take advantage of new energy sources, including solar power, and uses a floor plan developed to take advantage of energy efficiency. The 11 communities from which students come are spread across Middlesex, Norfolk and Bristol counties.

Tax impacts will vary by town

If the school building project is approved, the tax impacts vary by town based on how many students from each community attend Tri-County.

Franklin, which had 164 students attending Tri-County in October 2022, would pay a little more than $2 million annually to pay off the shared $200 million bond. A taxpayer who owns a home valued at $500,000 would pay an extra $144 annually until the 30-year bond is paid off.

In Medway, residents would pay a little over $1 million annually over 30 years. This would result in a tax increase of about $180 for homes valued at $500,000. Medway had 85 students attending the school, based on October 2022 enrollment figures.

For Millis, which was sending 38 students to the school as of October 2022, would pay $482,371 annually, leading to an yearly tax increase of about $135 for homes valued at $500,000 in that town.

If the project is approved, it then moves into detailed designed phases, and go to bid. Construction is set to begin next summer, and the school would open in summer 2027. The demolition of the existing school would occur afterward, followed by construction of new playing fields in summer 2028, according to the project's website.

Where to vote for the project

Under state law, regional projects require a voting period of no more than eight hours and all affected communities must hold voting simultaneously. The 11 Tri-County communities will act as one, with an aggregate majority vote determining approval.

Polls across the 11 towns will be open from noon to 8 p.m. in the following locations:

• Franklin: Franklin High School, 218 Oak St.

• Medfield: Chenery Hall (second floor), Town House, 459 Main St.

• Medway: Medway Middle School, 45 Holliston St.

• Millis: Millis Town Hall at 900 Main St.

• Norfolk: Freeman Kennedy School, 70 Boardman St.

• North Attleboro: North Attleboro High School, 1 Wilson West Whitty Way

• Plainville: Public Safety Building, 194 South St.

• Seekonk: Seekonk High School, 261 Arcade Ave.

• Sherborn: Town Hall, 19 Washington St.

• Walpole: Town Hall, 135 School St.

• Wrentham: Public Safety Building, 89/99 South St.

This article originally appeared on MetroWest Daily News: New Tri-County Vocational school is subject of special election