Thanks are due to town officials

Chelmsford -

To the Editor:

The Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) has awarded the Town of Chelmsford a construction grant in the amount of $8,739,542 for the Chelmsford High School addition/renovation project. The town qualified for a 56.31 percent reimbursement rate on this project. The grant monies will be used to pay the debt service for the project.

In 2004, Chelmsford voters approved a $31 million borrowing to fund the renovation and expansion of portions of Chelmsford High School, McCarthy Middle School, and Parker Middle School. At the time of the Town Meeting vote and subsequent approval at the Town Election, Chelmsford officials and voters faced tremendous uncertainty as to the amount of reimbursement, if any, that the Town would receive from the State for these school building projects. The State had imposed a moratorium on financing new school construction projects as it restructured the MSBA program.

Thanks should be given today to former and current town officials, employees, and volunteers whose efforts over the past five years contributed to the successful school renovation project and subsequent state reimbursement. Reps. Cory Atkins, Thomas Golden, Geoff Hall, and Dave Nangle, along with Sen. Susan Fargo, contributed greatly to the effort to obtain state construction funding. MSBA Executive Director Katherine Craven and her staff have worked tirelessly with town officials to review the construction work and audit financial documents.

Since the MSBA only accepts one school construction project per year from a community, the town will now submit a grant application for reimbursement for the construction work completed at the McCarthy Middle School. This will be followed by an application next year for the Parker Middle School’s new library and renovations. As we begin the new school year, Chelmsford students are being well served by this investment in the town’s school facilities that has been made possible by the partnership among State and Local officials and by the commitment of its residents.

Paul E. Cohen

Town Manager

http://www.wickedlocal.com/chelmsford/news/opinions/letters/x996440784/Thanks-are-due-to-town-officials