To submit school announcements, click on image.
Haverhill’s Silver Hill School was recently invited into the Massachusetts School Building Authority’s accelerated repair program as the first step toward replacing the school’s aging roof.
The state agency’s board of directors invited the school, built in 1993, into the program more than three years after the School Committee first tried for financial assistance for the project. School Committee member Richard J. Rosa confirmed the school system expects the program to cover approximately 76% of the still-to-be-determined total cost of the project. In Rosa’s words, taking advantage of the state’s repair program is “a fiscally responsible step to ensure our schools remain safe, efficient, and conducive to teaching and learning.”
“With the Silver Hill roof beyond its expected lifespan, our partnership with the MSBA allows us to make necessary upgrades while leveraging state funding to ease the burden on Haverhill taxpayers. We have to continually commit to maximizing opportunities like these—whether the Accelerated Repair Program or grants—to benefit our students and community,” he added.
City Councilors and School Committee members signed off on the application earlier this year.
Officials are currently working on prerequisites to receive funding, including approving schematic designs within 90 days, and submitting documentation that the city will approve payments for its portion within 120 days.
The repair falls under the Authority’s fifth priority, meaning it is less important than critical repairs that could threaten students’ health or wellbeing.
As WHAV reported earlier this year, the school underwent boiler repairs under a similar program. The district also used the program in 2023 for the replacement of the Moody Elementary School roof, which the state reimbursed the city 76% of the cost.
The district has also previously participated in the advanced repair program for the Haverhill High School gymnasium roof, which saved the city more than $1 million.
Additional upgrades are in store for area schools as well. According to Facilities Director Stephen D. Dorrance, the school department plans to spend approximately $309,375 to replace three small sections of the Silver Hill, Golden Hill and Pentucket Lake elementary schools’ roofs to make way for new HVAC equipment. HVAC work will be paid for by a federal Improving Ventilation and Air Quality grant.