Worcester City Council votes to submit Burncoat Middle School project for state funding

WORCESTER — After twice delaying a vote to get more information on how new school construction would impact the city's cost obligations, City Council voted Tuesday to submit a statement of interest for the proposed Burncoat Middle School project.

The statement of interest seeks funding from the Massachusetts School Building Authority to add Burncoat Middle to the construction project. In December 2023, the MSBA voted to make Burncoat High School eligible for state funding.

The School Committee sent the statement of interest to City Manager Eric D. Batista March 7. The deadline for submitting the statement of interest is April 12. The expected project timeline is from 2025 to 2028.

While councilors agreed it made sense to pair Burncoat school since the buildings share mechanical infrastructure and instructional programming, District 3 City Councilor George Russell was concerned that the added cost would delay replacing the Worcester East Middle School building.

More: Worcester councilor seeks report on cost of adding middle school to Burncoat project

Russell, whose district includes East Middle, delayed a vote March 19 and City Council voted to again delay the authorization so the administration could submit a report on the debt associated with major city projects.

The report, written by city Chief Financial Officer Timothy McGourthy, highlights that the estimated $500 million combined Burncoat project and an approximately $125 million East Middle project would add significant costs to the city's liability.

The Burncoat project would add more than $20 million to the city's annual debt service for the first few years and East Middle could potentially add $5 million for its first few years. In his summary of the report, Batista writes debt service competes with annual operating costs and would compete directly against city department needs and services.

Batista's communication adds that the city has additional cost challenges such as maintaining City Hall, refurbishing parks, street repairs and substandard public safety buildings as well as annual capital costs.

"The city must be cautious in its investments, careful in its strategy and conservative in its approach to ensure that capital investment does not turn into higher tax bills, reduced services and overall decline in municipal operations," Batista wrote.

East Middle is Worcester Public Schools' next priority project, according to an attached communication from Superintendent Rachel Monárrez.

On Tuesday, Russell said the current trajectory of the cost obligations meant that East Middle may not get a new building until around 2040.

"The reality is we got some important decisions to make in the future about what our budget is going to be," Russell said. "I'll say it right now, I'm not for taxing to the max."

Russell motioned for Batista to work with the school administration and School Committee for a short-term plan for upgrades such as painting the interior and accessibility improvements.

Worcester Public Schools has already replaced East Middle's boiler system and roof, and plans to replace all of its windows beginning in 2025.

When asked by Russell about the impact the Burncoat project would have on the city's debt services, and whether it could result in higher taxes or cuts to services, McGourthy said the city would need to fit more than $20 million in debt services into the budget.

"Unless revenues increase significantly between now and when that debt service is due, we would have to find a way to fit that $20 million into the budget somehow," McGourthy said.

Mayor Joseph M. Petty brought up the city's high school fund of about $15 million, which can grow in interest. McGourthy said putting more into the fund now would lessen the budget's debt responsibilities for Burncoat.

Batista said he and Monárrez hope to come forward with a report that lays out a plan for the city and school district's building and maintenance projects including possible funding sources and areas where projects need to be strategically handled long-term.

Councilor-at-Large Khyrstian King motioned for the city to engage with other municipalities on how to strategize around building and infrastructure projects.

Petty said the vote Tuesday was important because the Burncoat statement of interest was the one the School Committee chose and there was not enough time to amend it before the deadline. He said the Burncoat neighborhood is deserving of a new facility.

"That neighborhood's gone through a lot, whether it be the long-horned beetle, whether it be the ice storm," Petty said. "This is a big investment in that neighborhood and it's a game changer in that neighborhood."

City Council unanimously approved the bid, with District 4 City Councilor Luis Ojeda recusing himself. He is an educator in the city.

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Worcester to submit Burncoat Middle School project for state funding