A significant bond issue is on Barnstable, Mass.'s special election ballot on Tuesday, Sept. 19.
Initially estimated at $141 million, the project costs of building a new Cape Cod Regional Technical High School have been reduced to $128 million, with the state's revised share at $86 million.
Currently 650 students from 12 Cape towns — from Mashpee to Provincetown — comprise Cape Cod Tech's student body, District Superintendent Robert Sanborn said on Monday.
"We are the vocational, technical option for any student in our district," Sanborn said.
Since about a third, or 180, of Cape Cod Tech students live in Barnstable, the town's share of the project costs would be $1.7 million per year over the 30-year life of the bond issue.
Based on the region's median home price of $350,000, the property tax rate impact would be about 12 cents per $1,000 of valuation annually, with a tax bill impact of about $40 annually, for 30 years.
Sanborn is scheduled to present the revised project costs to the Barnstable Town Council next Thursday, Aug. 17.
"This will be my third time" presenting to the town council, Sanborn said. "They're thorough."
The current facility, located in Harwich, was built in 1975.
"Over the years we've replaced all the ventilators in the classrooms, the boiler -- all within our budget," Sanborn said. "For 42 years we've been keeping them going. In the end, the cost of renovating was the same or potentially higher" than rebuilding.
Moreover, "we've been talking about the status of our facility for more than four years now," Sanborn said, adding that he first approached the Massachusetts School Building Authority in 2010. The fifth time, in 2014, MSBA granted the request.
Not only does the Authority exclude a lot of costs, they cap construction costs at $326 per square foot, "so if the market is above that, it's on us," he said. "Construction costs have gone through the roof ... and we have to go with the prevailing wage."
Current estimates put construction costs at $472 per square foot x 22,880 square feet, Sanborn said, "so $150 per square foot is not reimbursable. They cap furniture, fixtures and equipment."
Staffing levels are expected to remain largely the same should the project win district-wide approval in October, he said.
"This building was built 'open concept,' and we have since closed those [third floor] spaces" for more classroom and office space, along with keeping the facility code compliant and ADA-compliant," Sanborn said. "That's how 'new' became the choice as opposed to renovating."
Barnstable Town Architect Mark Marinaccio is on the 24-member School Building Committee, which is populated with building, architectural and public safety experts, and government officials from every member Cape town, Sanborn said. Former Brewster Town Admonistrator Charles Sumner is chairman, and Cape Tech Business Manager Erin Orcutt, who's been working with Sanborn for eight years, is co-chair.
"We're a workforce development and sustainability solution for the Cape," Sanborn said. "About 45 percent of our student body goes to college. Most are going into the workforce, or they're going for a certificate program. More than 100 students hold paid or unpaid internships."
In addition, "We offer a lot of the same programs at night," including continuing education opportunities in the medical and veterinary fields, he said.
"Our students are more likely to stay on Cape Cod and contribute to the local economy," he said. "We provide the building blocks of the health care industry," with 15 programs that supply traditional pathways for the Blue Economy.
If approved, the new school would be built on existing land directly opposite the current building. The latter would be demolished upon completion of the new and fully ADA-compliant facility, Sanborn said. According to green industry standards the building will be LEED-certified at the Silver level. Most important, the two-year construction schedule would not disrupt instruction.
"We'd close the doors in June and open up the doors [of the new school] in September 2021," Orcutt said.
Barnstable's Sept. 19 special election is scheduled to determine whether voters will approve a Proposition 2 1/2 debt exclusion to pay for the project. Polls will be open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. A majority of voters is needed to pass the tax levy override option, and voter turnout is forecast at 5 to 10 percent, Orcutt added.
On Oct. 24, polls will be open noon to 8 p.m. in all 12 towns. Chatham and Orleans selectmen endorsed the project earlier this summer.
If approved, the regional school district would add the cost of the annual debt service on the bond issue to each community's assessment, based on that community's percentage of the overall Cape Cod Tech student enrollment.
