Voters in 11 Tri-County communities approve funding construction of new voke school

Tom Benoit, The Milford Daily News
Updated ·3 min read

Voters from 11 communities across three counties approved funding construction of a new Tri-County Regional Vocational Technical High School building.

The 11 communities that send students to the school — Franklin, Medfield, Medway, Millis, Norfolk, North Attleboro, Plainville, Seekonk, Sherborn, Walpole and Wrentham — acted as one large community to approve funding the construction of the $286 million school that will require about $200 million raised in local taxes and paid over a 30-year bond.

By state law, voting had to take place in each community simultaneously — in this case, from noon to 8 p.m. on Tuesday.

Franklin voters cast their ballots at Franklin High School in a special election requesting them to fund construction of a new Tri-County Regional Vocational Technical High School, Oct. 24, 2023. Eleven communities participated in the election, which saw the measure pass with about 62% of those voting in favor.
Franklin voters cast their ballots at Franklin High School in a special election requesting them to fund construction of a new Tri-County Regional Vocational Technical High School, Oct. 24, 2023. Eleven communities participated in the election, which saw the measure pass with about 62% of those voting in favor.

Superintendent says school needs to be modernized

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.

Maguire told the Daily News ahead of the vote 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."

Franklin voters cast their ballots at Franklin High School in a special election requesting them to fund construction of a new Tri-County Regional Vocational Technical High School, Oct. 24, 2023.
Franklin voters cast their ballots at Franklin High School in a special election requesting them to fund construction of a new Tri-County Regional Vocational Technical High School, Oct. 24, 2023.

Earlier: Eleven communities to decide whether to fund new $286M voke school

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.

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 before Tuesday's vote 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.

Tax impacts vary by town

Since the measure has passed, 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.

Cole Pithis, 4, of Franklin, watches as his father, Mike Pithis, cast his ballot inside the Franklin High School gym in a special election asking voters to fund construction of a new Tri-County Regional Vocational Technical High School, Oct. 24, 2023.
Cole Pithis, 4, of Franklin, watches as his father, Mike Pithis, cast his ballot inside the Franklin High School gym in a special election asking voters to fund construction of a new Tri-County Regional Vocational Technical High School, Oct. 24, 2023.

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.

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.

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

This article originally appeared on MetroWest Daily News: Tri-County voters approve funding construction new vocational school