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AUBURN, Mass. – If you have an interest in planning the design of school facilities, the Auburn School Committee would like to hear from you. It is looking for parents and other community members to serve on its recently established School Building Master Plan Team.
The team was authorized on Oct. 17 in response to the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) decision supporting the committee’s preferred option of building a new middle school on West Street.
Team members will tour and assess district buildings and discuss the possibility of repurposing facilities in support of the district’s educational program.
“We’ll need to look at our existing buildings, except for Auburn High School, and see if there is a way for us to strategically work to address some systemic issues that we have,” Superintendent of Schools Maryellen Brunelle said at Tuesday’s special fall Town Meeting. “We have three buildings that are 90 years old or thereabouts, and the other two are from the 1950s or so, at least in terms of the original buildings.
“If you are interested in serving on this team, we look forward to beginning our work in earnest,” Brunelle added. “I encourage you to contact us to join this team.”
The West Street proposal is now in the “Schematic Design Phase,” and if this phase is approved by the MSBA in January, the school district will seek the town's okay to move forward with the project. The school’s estimated cost is $41.9 million, with a minimum state reimbursement of 54.16 percent.
If residents vote to support the project, Brunelle said, decisions will need to be made regarding the use of the current Auburn Middle School, located at 10 Swanson Road, as well as the use of the current elementary schools.
Those serving on the team would need to commit to bi-monthly evening meetings, with specific dates and times to be set by the group.
If you are interested in joining the team, contact Brunelle at 508-832-7755 or mbrunelle@auburn.k12.ma.us.
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