Public Forum Set on Mount Greylock Building Project
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — The Mt. Greylock Regional School Building Committee will hold a public forum on the current building project on Thursday, Feb. 11, at 7 p.m. in the Williamstown Elementary School auditorium.
“The committee invites all members of the public to learn in more detail about the project and to ask questions,” committee co-chair Paula Consolini said. “We want citizens to be as informed as possible before voting on the project.”
In Williamstown, that ballot vote will take place on March 1 along with the presidential primary. The ballot vote in Lanesborough is scheduled for March 15. The project will also be discussed at a special Lanesborough town meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 23, at 6 p.m. at Lanesborough Elementary School.
After a decade of local effort, the Massachusetts School Building Authority in 2014 invited the Mt. Greylock District into the process by which the authority guides districts through building projects and reimburses a significant portion their expenses.
Based on the school’s educational plan, studies of the current building, and input from the public, the district is proposing a project that would renovate the gym, the auditorium, and the structure that connects them; take down the academic areas; and replace the latter with a new wing.
The school district’s share of the project cost is expected to range between $31.5-$35.5 million after state reimbursement. That cost would be split between the district’s two member towns: one-third to Lanesborough and two-thirds to Williamstown.
The votes (on March 1 in Williamstown and March 15 in Lanesborough) will be on whether to exclude payments on this debt from the limitations of Proposition Two and a Half. Each town has to approve that exclusion by a simple majority for the project to move forward.
The Feb. 11 meeting follows a school-wide band and orchestra Valentine's Day concert in the auditorium, which starts at 5 p.m. and is open to the public.
Tags: MGRHS school project,
