Town Meeting votes 'yes' to fund high school roof feasability study

A feasibility study into replacing Dartmouth High School's roof will move forward after the Fall Town Meeting voted to approve $250,000 to conduct a roof feasibility study. 

Currently, the roof is 25 years old as it was installed when the building was built. The lifespan and insurance coverage for a roof is typically 20 years. The roof has had some repairs to extend the life in the past, but now the school is looking at replacing it. 

“A leaky roof doesn’t get better with time,” said Nathan Silva of the finance committee, whose background is in construction. 

The study is necessary to apply for a reimbursement grant from the Massachusetts School Building Authority. The grant would cover about 50% of the total cost of the project. The authority will be choosing from 90 proposals, and if Dartmouth High School is not chosen this year they will have to reapply next year. 

The total estimated cost for the roof replacement is around $6 million, according to Superintendent June Saba-Maguire. 

“If we’re lucky enough to spend $250,000 it will mean a $3 million reimbursement from the state,” said Select Board member David Tatelbaum. 

The Massachusetts School Building Authority has a core group that performs the feasibility studies, and if the high school’s request is accepted, they will send out to perform the study. They are the ones who suggested that the school requests the figure of $250,000. 

For the study, a designer, an architect or a designer will come in and lead the physical assessment of the roof. 

The request will not be a request for bid (RFB) but rather a net present value (NVP).  An RFB consists of bidding for a standardized product, with the money going to the lowest bidder. An NPV bid relies on what will have the highest long-term value. 

Residents showed concerns about the cost of the study and the reasoning behind it rather than putting that money directly into the repairs. Saba-Maguire emphasized that for reimbursement, the study is required. 

Especially with the number of bids that the authority is considering, “...we really want to position ourselves in a way that makes us attractive to the MSBA,” she said. 

Others were concerned about building a new roof when the school has been being paid off from previous loans. The board clarified that it was fully repaid as of the last fiscal year. 

The authority will be making a decision about whether to offer a grant on Wednesday, Oct. 29.