The MSBA has agreed to participate only in the renovation of the portion of the school that meets their size recommendations, the City will fund the remainder of the renovation. By Ashley Taylor The Board of Directors of the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) voted unanimously to give the City of Somerville the go-ahead to renovate the East Somerville Community School, which was severely damaged by an electrical fire in December of 2007. The non-contentious vote puts the Board's seal of approval on the agreement reached by the MSBA and the City of Somerville at a meeting January 13 to move into the Schematic Design phase of planning and rebuilding the school.

According to Emily Mahlman, Director of Communications for the MSBA, the schematic design, "will be detailed drawings that will lay out the project [and through which] the budget and detailed scope of the project will be determined."

The Maguire Group, Inc., a design, engineering, and construction company in Foxborough, will create these drawings. Gerald Boyle, Director of Capital Projects Management for the City said in an e-mailed response that the City had selected the Maguire Group to "provide the City with architectural and engineering services" for the renovation soon after the fire and that they will soon perform a "schematic study of renovations to the school."

The renovation won't make drastic changes to the school. Boyle said that "The footprint of the building will remain the same." On the other hand, some things will be new and improved: "The entire school will be refurbished with state-of-the-art systems such as HVAC, electrical, and technology. The interior finishes (floors, walls) and doors and windows will all be replaced."

Beyond drawings, there is the question of money. One key point of the agreement is that the MSBA will help to renovate only part of the school. The East Somerville Community School is larger than the MSBA recommends for a K-8 school of 500 students. The MSBA has agreed to participate only in the renovation of the portion of the school that meets their size recommendations, or at most 98,000 of the school's 118,500 square feet, according to the memo sent to Board members before Wednesday's meeting. The City will fund the remainder of the renovation.

This agreement follows the December 2009 insurance settlement between the city and Liberty Mutual. According to the memo, the City will deduct the insurance settlement money not already spent on immediate expenses such as busing the displaced students to alternate schools, from the overall project budget they submit to the MSBA.

Despite these financial stipulations, the percentage of the project the MSBA will fund, called the reimbursement rate, has yet to be determined. Mahlman said that the MSBA funds between 31 and 80 % of the cost of school improvement projects. The reimbursement rate depends on factors such as "ability to pay factors, property wealth, income, [and] the percentage of students that qualify for free or reduced-price lunch."