After applying to the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) grant program and being denied for five consecutive annual grant cycles, the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School is again submitting a statement of interest (SOI) for need-based funds to be used for a renovation or reconstruction of the building.
For five years, the high school has submitted its SOI to the MSBA in hopes that they might receive need-based funding for a much-needed overhaul of the entire facility, but have been denied each year.
According to Superintendent Matt D’Andrea, the MSBA reimburses between 20 and 80 percent of the total construction cost of entire projects based on need, and the high school project would most likely qualify for approximately 40 percent reimbursement, if approved.
Last year, the school sent in an SOI and was denied funding.
Oak Bluffs held its ground on its nay vote for a $1.4 million feasibility study that would provide construction documents and updated pricing for a new or renovated high school.
At a school committee meeting Monday, school officials voted to send in the SOI for the sixth year in a row, with their fingers crossed that they could make some progress in bringing the six towns to common ground on a comprehensive funding formula for large capital projects, such as a new or renovated school.
“We are recommending that we continue to request help through the submission of another SOI to the MSBA,” finance manager Mark Friedman said. “The application deadline for this round will be April 8. Because our next school committee meeting is April 6, the timeline is just a little tight.”
Committee member Robert Lionette asked about other avenues for funding from the MSBA besides the full build-out grant.
“What is the distinction between the full build-out SOI and opportunities for support for specific parts of the building?” Lionette asked. “We have been doing this for five years now, and I could fill a folder full of my misconceptions about what this funding does or does not do. We are once again under the gun; it drives me crazy.”
Lionette said the application to the MSBA is not a unilateral process, meaning there are other options for financial support. He suggested forming a working group that would investigate where the opportunities and limitations of the MSBA grant lie.
“I feel annoyed that once again I am going to have to vote tonight on something I feel ill-prepared for,” Lionette said. “We are looking at years down the line for continued application, and it’s evident the process is highly competitive.”
D’Andrea explained that there are two different options the school could pursue. The core program is the grant that the school has applied for several times in the past, but there is also an accelerated repair program that allows for possible funding for replacement of roofs, windows, and boilers specifically.
“We have stayed away from the accelerated repair program because we know we need more than just boilers; we need more than just windows,” D’Andrea said.
Schools cannot apply for both grant programs at the same time.
D’Andrea said it is necessary for the school to continue its attempts to try and bring the six towns together to reach an understanding.
Committee members voiced their concerns over applying for this and then not being able to agree on a funding formula.
But D’Andrea said he wouldn’t want to miss the opportunity to apply, then during the summer have the towns come to some sort of resolution that would make grant funds viable.
“The MSBA does look at the situation on the Island. They recognize that we are very much in need, and they want to help. But they don’t want to commit resources to a project that will fail,” D’Andrea said.
Committee member Amy Houghton said there is a much more fundamental question that needs to be answered before the worth of yet another SOI can be determined.
She said there needs to be an agreement across the Island that towns can work together, otherwise the efforts to receive grant funds will be futile.
“It almost seems like if we put this forward and we haven’t done the groundwork to build support, I feel like this is just a waste of our time,” Houghton said.
By applying to the MSBA, Houghton said, the school is deciding to go down a path that is regimented and scheduled stringently around the application deadlines.
Principal Sara Dingledy agreed that in some ways, the application cycle is constraining because it influences all discussions and planning regarding the state of the building.
“There is always fear to go in that direction,” Dingledy said. “Trying to wrap our arms around what we want from this project does seem like the first priority.”
Dingledy said some steps have been taken to create a clearer vision for the end goal of the building project, including possibly engaging Tappé Architects to conduct a visioning study.
“We know that everything would be more palpable to towns if we had the support of the MSBA,” Dingledy said.
Committee member Skipper Manter said the MSBA is going to know that Oak Bluffs voted down the feasibility study, indicating a lack of unanimous support on-Island.
“To me, that seems like an automatic disqualifier for them. If we apply, I assume we could withdraw if we can’t take steps toward some sort of resolution,” Manter said. “Either way, we can’t wait any longer for this.”
Friedman said the problems with the school are mostly characterized as systems issues, such as electrical, plumbing, and heating and ventilation. Although Friedman said the existing cost estimates for those systems upgrades are stale, even those numbers were in the tens of millions of dollars.
“Whether we have the support of the MSBA or not, given the magnitude of the dollar amounts, we would need the six towns to agree in order to do anything with this building,” Friedman said. “We need to get all of them to agree to a funding approach that will work.”
Committee member Kris O’Brien said the lack of consensus by the towns would explain last year’s failed grant application, but it doesn’t explain the other four years the school has applied and been passed up.
“So we all scratch our heads and wonder why that is. Is it because other buildings are worse off than we are? Or is it because we are a $20 billion Island in property value with the capacity to pay for this, but choose not to?” O’Brien asked.
Committee member Kathryn Shertzer said her biggest fear is that the school is accepted into the grant program and funds are allocated, but the towns can’t agree on funding for the project, similar to what happened in Tisbury in 2018.
“My biggest fear is that if we move forward, and God forbid they give us the money and we don’t have six towns that agree on what we are doing,” Shertzer said.