Tappé tapped for HS project

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Martha's Vineyard Regional High School. —Eunki Seonwoo

Tappé Architects of Boston has been chosen for the construction project planned for the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School.

A 16-member design selection panel, with school officials, school committee members, and members of the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA), tapped the firm at an April 23 meeting.

MSBA, a quasi-independent government authority that funds school capital improvement projects, accepted the high school project into its program in March 2022. The MSBA could ultimately reimburse the Island for 38.74 percent of the project costs. The district had been trying for six years to get into the program, seeking to address deficiencies in its 64-year-old high school building.

Eleven members of the design select panel voted for Tappé over Mount Vernon Group Architects of Massachusetts and New Jersey, and Levy Architects of Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

Panel member Mike Watts, also a member of the high school committee, says Tappé was in the lead since the first meeting on April 9. “When we did the original evaluation of three firms, Tappé came out on top,” he says.

He adds that the firm better addressed aspects specific to construction on an island, saying the choice was clear: “There was a really wide gap.”

Tappé is also the firm for the ongoing Tisbury School project, and were the architects for the Edgartown Public Library. Tappé also has a history of completed high school building projects in Massachusetts. Twenty school projects listed on its website include Maynard, Sharon, and Southbridge high schools.

The extent of construction this project will entail at the school is to be determined, and will incorporate public input and outreach as the MSBA process progresses.

4 COMMENTS

  1. Please do not try to mislead the public by indicating it’s a 64-year-old building when tens of millions of dollars have been spent on additions, renovations, etc. over the last 30 years. Parts of the building are 64 years old whereas the majority of the building may only be 30 years old. If you would like to add that not enough, money has been spent on maintenance of the building with more of it going to administration which has led to some of the problems.

  2. The building is 64 years old. It has modified/hacked up over time.
    It is a sixty-four year old s building.
    Should we keep it to one hundred?
    How did that work out in Tisbury?

    What percentage of the regional budget goes to administration?
    How does that compare to other area multiple town regional school systems?
    Have you made any comparisons?

    Just exactly who are these people who vote for school committee members who vote for outrageous administrative salaries? What can be done about them? Are they mostly illegals?

  3. Just let’s hope they don’t just hand wallet
    To principal ??as this is the practice of
    This administration on repairs renovations
    And rebuilds; to put principles in charge of projects. Guess it washes their hands.
    Did you know that principles are actually building contractors in disguise ?? it’s a little sketchy. I just hope that this island has the foresight to involve the local men and women
    Builders and contractors with lots of experience. Any pro bono volunteers?

    • Who knows more about how schools run than principals?
      Builders, contractors and principals don’t do pro bono, there is no free lunch.

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