School Committee Moving Fast After 'Yes' Vote

The regional School Committee is wasting no time in moving forward with plans to renovate Concord-Carlisle High School in the wake of the positive vote yesterday.

Among the first orders of business will be to charge a new building committee, said Superintendent Diana Rigby after the news of the vote became public.

Behind the scenes, Rigby and the committee have been negotiating with the Massahusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) to lay the groundwork if the vote were positive for the feasibility study.

A $1.3 million study was authorized in both Concord and Carlisle to design a completely renovated facility serving about 1,225 students. The "design enrollment" was key, Rigby said, to MSBA reimbursement plans.

The town has been told that the state will reimburse some 30 to 40 percent of the project cost after its standards are met.

The first piece of the standards are the votes at Town Meetings and at the ballot boxes in the towns.

In both towns, the yes votes were overwhelming. In Concord, with 19 percent of the registered voters taking part in the election, 1,802 voted yes while 450 voted no.

"We will move ahead with soliciting members for a CCHS building committee," said Rigby.

School Committee member Jerry Wedge said he had "encouraging" phone calls with state authorities over "next steps."

"We will get our agreements in place," said Wedge. "They are excited about working with us. The next major step is for them to review the master plan study."

That will happen before July 9. Rigby said she will schedule a meeting with state officials before the July date.