WESTFIELD – The state agency charged with assisting communities to build and renovate school buildings has approved the replacement of roofs on two of the city’s elementary schools.
The Board of Directors of the Massachusetts School Building Authority, which operates under the state Office of Treasurer, has voted to approve projects at the sister schools of Munger Hill and Paper Mill Elementary Schools. The Board authorized funding of $1.5 million which will be returned to the city as the projects are completed.
Mayor Daniel M. Knapik said Monday at the School Committee that the MSBA advised the city to put a funding vehicle, typically done through bonding, in place in anticipation of the roof replacement projects. The state agency will provide 62.74 percent reimbursement of the project funding.
“The MSBA told us to start the financial steps for the Paper Mill and Munger Hill roof replacement work, which translates into a $2 million local bond commitment,” Knapik said. “So that will be another two roofs put down, with just Westfield High School still in need of work, but that roof is not in too bad shape.”
State Sen. Michael R. Knapik (R-Westfield) said the MSBA will enter into a project funding agreement with the city, making the roof replacement eligible for state reimbursement of up to $792,213 each.
“Treasurer (Steve) Grossman and the MSBA have been an excellent partner to the City of Westfield,” Knapik said. “The city has aggressively worked to fix roofs, boilers and facilities under several MSBA programs in order to preserve the district’s school buildings for generations to come.”
Sen. Knapik said that a 2,800-square-foot section of the Munger Hills roof was damaged during the June 1, 2011 tornado which touched down in Westfield and ripped across western Massachusetts, causing millions in damage to more than a dozen communities.
The city received funding through the Federal Emergency Management Agency to make emergency repairs to the kindergarten wing of the school. It was during the emergency repairs to the tornado damage that widespread damage to the Munger Hill roof was first observed.
The membrane of the roof was failing , damage cause by algae eating into the rubber, causing pin holes and allowing water to infiltrate. This causes a shower effect, with leakage through the entire roof, which could have caused further interior damage in the building.
School officials hired the consulting firm of Tighe & Bond to then examine the Paper Mill roof because the two schools are the identical design and built at the same time 20 years ago.
“If we did not have the tornado, we would have not known about this problem until we started to have leaks,” Mayor Knapik said shortly after the membrane problem was identified.
The MSBA decision positions the city to have the project put out for bid early next year and for the roof projects to begin when schools close in June.
