The Town has aggressively sought ways to reduce the impact of the project on taxpayers.
Early on, the square footage of the building was reduced by approximately 8,000 while still providing adequate space for all of the educational programs. This reduction is significant given estimated construction costs per square foot in the $800 range.
Next, the Elementary School Building Committee (ESBC) reviewed project costs and identified over $5 million of cost saving measures from the initial estimate.
The Town has partnered with Eversource to generate a maximum of $1.6 million of energy incentives/rebates and the Town Council has approved a Community Preservation Act grant in the amount of $700,000 to offset the cost of the fields.
Town officials worked with its State Legislators to advocate for an increase to the grant from the MSBA. These efforts resulted in over $3 million of additional grant funding.
Most recently on April 3, 2023; the Town Council voted to appropriate $5 million from its Capital Stabilization Fund to reduce the impact of the debt exclusion on tax payers.