Merrimac

Wally the Green Monster and World Series Trophy to Visit Merrimac Police and Fire Station

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For Immediate Release

Monday, April 8, 2019

Contact: John Guilfoil
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: [email protected]

Wally the Green Monster and World Series Trophy to Visit Merrimac Police and Fire Station

MERRIMAC — Police Chief Eric Shears and Fire Chief Larry Fisher are pleased to announce that Wally the Green Monster, the official mascot of the Boston Red Sox, will be paying a visit to town — along with the 2018 World Series trophy — later this month.

Red Sox mascot Wally. (Courtesy Photo Boston Red Sox)
Red Sox mascot Wally. (Courtesy Photo Boston Red Sox)

WHEN: 

Sunday, April 21, from 2:30-5 p.m.

WHERE: 

Merrimac Police and Fire Station, 16 East Main St.

WHAT: 

The Merrimac Santa Committee, Merrimac Police Association, Merrimac Fire Department Hose Company 1 and the Merrimac Fire Couplings will be welcoming Wally on April 21. Residents will have a chance to meet the mascot and have their photo taken with both Wally and the 2018 World Series trophy.

There is no cost to attend the event, and photos will be taken on-site and distributed later to attendees.

“We’re very excited to have Wally and the World Series trophy right here in Merrimac for everyone in our community to see up close,” Chief Shears said. “I want to thank our entire community for their continued support of our town’s public safety agencies and the Santa Committee.”

“This will be a great way for families to spend a Sunday afternoon and create a lasting memory, and I hope everyone takes advantage of this unique opportunity,” Chief Fisher added.

“This event is the result of a concerted effort by so many in our community, and I want to thank them all for making this possible and creating a one-of-a-kind celebration for our families,” added Santa Committee member Tom Jordan.

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*Media Advisory* Pentucket High School Building Committee to Hold Meeting Tuesday

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Pentucket Regional School District
Superintendent Justin Bartholomew
22 Main Street
West Newbury, MA 01985

For Immediate Release

Friday, March 8, 2019

Contact: John Guilfoil
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: [email protected]

*Media Advisory* 

Pentucket Building Committee to Hold Meeting Tuesday

WEST NEWBURY — Superintendent Justin Bartholomew wishes to remind residents that the Pentucket Building Committee is having a meeting next week.

WHEN:

Tuesday, March 12 at 6:30 p.m.

WHERE:

Pentucket Regional High School Cafeteria, 24 Main St., West Newbury

WHAT:

The Pentucket Building Committee is holding a meeting Tuesday, March 12, at Pentucket Regional High School to review updated design renderings for the combined high school/middle school building project, the next steps in the Massachusetts School Board Authority (MSBA) process and a schedule of upcoming community meetings.

“It is important that voters attend the public meetings we have scheduled about this project, familiarize themselves with the information available on the project’s website, and ask myself or another member of the committee any questions they may have,” Superintendent Bartholomew said. “We want voters to fully understand what they are voting on this spring, and what this project would offer students in the future.”

Since the committee’s Feb. 13 meeting, the district submitted a schematic design of the building project to the MSBA on Feb. 20. The district will meet with the MSBA in the coming weeks to review the submitted schematic design.

About the Pentucket Building Project

Pentucket Regional School District and the Building Committee have been working with the MSBA since 2015 to develop a building project to meet the needs of the district. The proposed building would solve critical infrastructure concerns facing both the middle and high school buildings, including the HVAC, water and electrical systems at the high school.

A 2015 report found that the high school’s HVAC and electrical systems are in  “imminent danger of possible failure.”

The high school building was built in 1956, and the middle school building was built in 1967. Both buildings are well worn and in need of replacement. Combining the middle and high schools into one new building presents a more cost-effective option than building separate middle and high school buildings. The proposed project would create a three-story facility that aligns with modern academic standards and best practices and would serve several decades of students to come.

Residents in Groveland, Merrimac and West Newbury will vote on Monday, April 29 whether to approve the funding request for the project and again in a ballot vote on May 6.

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Pentucket Launches Middle and High School Building Project Website

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Pentucket Regional School District
Superintendent Justin Bartholomew
22 Main Street
West Newbury, MA 01985

For Immediate Release

Monday, March 4, 2019

Contact: John Guilfoil
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: [email protected]

Pentucket Launches Middle and High School Building Project Website

WEST NEWBURY — Superintendent Justin Bartholomew is pleased to announce that Pentucket Regional School District has launched an official website about the proposed middle and high school building project.

The website PentucketProject.com will act as an official source of information for residents in Groveland, Merrimac, and West Newbury as they prepare to vote on Monday, April 29 whether to approve the funding request for the project and again in a ballot vote on May 6.

The project needs to be approved by all three towns, in both votes, to move forward. The votes represent the final step in the process.

“We’re excited to share this website as an official resource for residents looking to learn more about the project,” Superintendent Bartholomew said. “It’s important going into town meetings and ballot votes that residents know all the facts about the project, the concerns facing the current middle and high school buildings, and how the details of this project came to be.”

A news blog on the website will be regularly updated with the latest information about the project. The website also includes video recordings of past presentations on the project, which can be seen by clicking here.

The proposed Pentucket Regional School District (PRSD) grades seven through 12 building would replace the current middle and high schools, which were respectively built in 1967 and 1954.

Both buildings are significantly worn and approaching the end of their useful life spans. The high school building faces several infrastructure issues, including an old, corroded plumbing system that is insulated with asbestos and frequently causes flooding and an outdated heating system that a district assessment of its condition revealed is in imminent danger of failing. To learn more about the state of the current buildings, click here. 

The project would build a three story, modern facility combining the middle and high schools into one building on a unified campus. This is a more cost effective option than building separate, new middle and high school buildings that exist now.

To examine renderings of the proposed building and learn more about its design, click here.

The total estimated cost of the project is $146.3 million. After ineligible costs are calculated and deducted from the total cost, the district estimates the Massachusetts School Board Authority (MSBA) will fund approximately 40 percent of the project.

The MSBA will announce an official reimbursement amount in April.

At the project reimbursement rate and interest rates, based on the average assessed home value in each town in the district, it is estimated that, should the project move forward, the average Groveland homeowner’s taxes would increase $745, the average Merrimac homeowner’s taxes would increase $734, and the average West Newbury homeowner’s taxes would increase $755.

Four years ago, PRSD was accepted into the MSBA process for the first time since a proposed new high school building was voted down in the late 1990s. Since PRSD was re-accepted by the MSBA, the district has been working with the MSBA to develop the most cost effective plan to meet the needs of the middle and high schools.

“The proposed building would solve the infrastructure concerns in both buildings, and would create a facility that will enhance and support student learning for decades to come,” Superintendent Bartholomew said. “We encourage residents to visit the website, learn about the project being proposed, and consider what the project will mean for future generations of Pentucket students.”

A School Building Committee formed in fall 2016 to oversee the MSBA process, and includes administrators, town officials, selectmen, school committee members, and residents. To learn more about the committee, click here.

To access the website, visit pentucketproject.com.

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Pentucket to Hold Community Meeting on New Building Project

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Pentucket Regional School District
Superintendent Justin Bartholomew
22 Main Street
West Newbury, MA 01985

For Immediate Release

Thursday, Jan. 17, 2019

Contact: John Guilfoil
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: [email protected]

 

Pentucket to Hold Community Meeting on New Building Project

Representatives from Groveland, Merrimac and West Newbury to Join Discussion

Please note the change of venue.

WEST NEWBURY — Superintendent Justin Bartholomew would like to invite community members to attend a public meeting next week on the proposed building project for the Pentucket Regional School District.

WHEN:

Thursday, Jan. 24 at 6 p.m.

WHERE:

Frederick N. Sweetsir School

104 Church St, Merrimac

WHAT:

Officials from Groveland, Merrimac and West Newbury — the three towns that make up Pentucket — will meet to share information on the proposed school building for grades seven through 12.

Both the middle and high school buildings, which were designed and constructed in the 1950s, have outlived their useful lives and are in need of significant physical improvements to extend their purpose for another 50 years.

The proposed building project is expected to receive an estimated 40 percent reimbursement from the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) and will:

  • Create a middle school and high school building that will be used for the next half century.
  • Address the infrastructure of the high school, which cannot be replaced without repairing the entire building — a venture that would cost more than $70 million without any MSBA reimbursement.
  • Provide an optimal learning environment for students, including updated science labs and modern learning spaces where collaboration and technology are focal points
  • Replace corroding pipes in the middle and high school
  • Remove all hazardous materials that are currently found throughout the buildings

Next month, the district will have a more exact estimate of project costs, which are currently estimated at $155.2 million. With the MSBA’s support, Pentucket taxpayers would be responsible for $95.2 million of the project’s cost. Residents will first vote on the project at their spring town meetings, and if the measure passes, it will appear on the ballot in May.

“With representatives from all three towns present at this meeting, this is a great opportunity for residents to come find out more about the project and ask questions,” Superintendent Bartholomew said. “Our goal is to ensure that every voter is fully informed on the scope of this work and what it means for our students, communities and taxpayers.”

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