HAVERHILL, MA — State Treasurer Deborah B. Goldberg, Chair of the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) and Maureen Valente, MSBA Chief Executive Officer, joined state and local officials today at a groundbreaking ceremony for the new Hunking Elementary School in Haverhill. The MSBA is contributing a maximum total facilities grant amount of more than $40 million in eligible expenses towards the project.
“I am delighted to be at this groundbreaking for this important and long-awaited project,” said Treasurer Deborah Goldberg. “Because of the MSBA’s collaborative partnership with local officials in Haverhill, students and teachers will benefit from a state-of-the-art learning and teaching environment for many years to come.”
The project consists of a new co-located grades K-4 lower school and 5-8 upper school facility comprised of 147,996 square-feet with a design enrollment of 1,005. The MSBA will contribute 78.93 percent of eligible costs toward the construction of the facility, for a total grant of up to $40,363,276. The current Hunking Elementary School was built in 1959 and has suffered from severe structural issues over the past several years.
“I am pleased to take part in this monumental event for the City of Haverhill,” said MSBA CEO Maureen Valente. “Through our collaborative partnership with the local officials in Haverhill, we are breaking ground on a new school project that will have a positive impact on students for generations to come."
“This groundbreaking represents a significant step in the modernization and improvement project for the Hunking School,” said Representative Brian S. Dempsey (D-Haverhill), Chairman of the House Committee on Ways and Means. “I would like to thank State Treasurer Deb Goldberg and the School building authority as well as the state and local officials who have worked together to prioritize the state funding necessary to get this project moving and I look forward to seeing the new and improved Hunking School.”
"I am delighted to join my colleagues in the Haverhill legislative delegation, Treasurer Goldberg and residents across the city in celebrating the ground breaking on the new Hunking School,” said Representative Diana DiZoglio. “The new school will have a lasting, positive impact on the City of Haverhill and provide our students with a safe, healthy and modern learning environment."
The MSBA partners with Massachusetts communities to support the design and construction of educationally appropriate, flexible, sustainable and cost-effective public school facilities. Since its 2004 inception, the Authority has made more than 1,485 site visits to more than 250 school districts as part of its due diligence process and has made more than $11.2 billion in reimbursements for school construction projects.
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