MSBA Approves Over $90 Million in School Construction Bonds

PEABODY, Mass. — The Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) has approved Peabody city council’s request to borrow $92.6 million for school construction.

The multimillion-dollar bond will be used to build the new Higgins Middle School in Peabody, with groundbreaking date set in 2014.

Although the city received the bond, officials say that only about $50 million will actually be borrowed, but the MSBA requires the full amount to be authorized. Now that the funding agreement is in place, the project team must return to the MSBA in order to receive permission to begin the next phase of the project.

The town and the school district in general are very excited about the news and are looking forward to the construction in the coming years. Higgins School Building Committee Chair Beverley Griffin Dunne thanked the council members for approving the bond for the town and Jim Liacos, councilor-at-large, said he was pleased to see the project move forward so smoothly.

The existing Higgins Middle School will stay in operation until the new school is built, according to Liacos, a decision in which he fully supports.

Boston-based architecture firm DiNisco Design Partnership is working on the project and explained several design changes to the new building including a front portion of the school being altered for it to sit at a slight angle in order to take advantage of better footings for the foundation.

Along with the Higgins Middle School, the MSBA has been approving construction bonds across the state including Stoneham Middle School in Stoneham. The MSBA contributed $21 million towards the $40.5 million project.

Since the MSBA’s inception, they have made $9.7 billion in reimbursements for school construction projects in Massachusetts. The Stoneham Middle School and Higgins Middle School are bringing the state’s educational facilities up-to-date with 21st century design strategies and state-of-the-art facilities.