State To Help Replace Roof At Monomoy Middle School

CHATHAM – The long-overdue replacement of the roof at Monomoy Regional Middle School won’t be cheap, but at least the state will help foot the bill.

 The school committee learned last week that the project has been accepted into the Massachusetts School Building Authority’s Accelerated Repair Program, which will reimburse the district at a rate of around 37 percent.

 “That means for every dollar we spend on this project, we get 37 cents back,” district Business Manager Michael MacMillan told the school committee. The reimbursement only covers qualifying expenses related to the project, so the district will do its best to ensure as much of the cost qualifies as possible.

 The MSBA board met late last month and voted to help Monomoy conduct a schematic design study for the roof project, focusing on protecting the building using energy-efficient upgrades designed to save the district money. 

 Except for parts of the roof that were replaced after a storm in 2018, most of the middle school roof dates from 1997, with some sections now 34 years old. Consultants have said replacing the roof is needed to keep water from getting inside the building envelope, damaging the interior and potentially causing air quality problems.

 Superintendent of Schools Scott Carpenter said he’s pleased by the MSBA’s offer.

 “The invitation to join the MSBA program means that the state will cover a percentage of the cost of replacing the roof at the middle school, helping to support our taxpayers while continuing to provide a safe learning facility for our students and educators,” he wrote in a statement to the press.

 The project will be done concurrently with siding and trim repairs which are also needed to seal the building envelope from the elements. The current siding was installed nearly 30 years ago, and in some areas the flashing around windows and the water barrier beneath the cedar shingles were either absent or poorly installed, which has heightened the need for the siding project to prevent further water intrusion.

 “The middle school building is a great facility and this important work to repair the roof and siding will ensure many more decades of productive use,” Carpenter said.

 While the roofing project is eligible for MSBA reimbursement, the siding project is not.

 The cost of the roof replacement won’t be estimated until the feasibility study is complete, and final numbers won’t be known until the project goes out to bid. MacMillan said the MSBA reimbursement will surely be beneficial to the district; if eligible costs end up being $5 million, Monomoy would receive $1.85 million back from the state. 

 “That will really help reduce our costs, obviously,” he said. 

 Funds are included in the current year’s budget to support the feasibility study, but any construction funds would need to be approved by town meeting voters in Chatham and Harwich.

 The siding replacement project, estimated at $6.3 million, will go before voters at spring annual town meetings.

 With these two significant building projects to begin soon, school officials are looking for volunteers to help guide the effort.

 “We are looking for community members with expertise in construction, design, and/or financing to serve on a building committee for this renovation project,” Carpenter said. Interested residents are asked to email him at scarpenter@monomoy.edu.