Additional projects, including boiler replacements, are being scheduled for next year at 5 schools.
WESTFIELD – The School Department will launch roof replacement projects at two elementary schools as early as next week while it seeks out state funding to replace the tornado-damaged roof at Munger Hill School.
School Operations director Frank B. Maher Jr. said this week the estimate for full roof replacement at Munger Hill is estimated at $1.3 million and an emergency request for state School Building Authority financial help has been filed. The state could provide up to 62 percent of that cost.
In the meantime, the city, if necessary, will repair the 20-foot section of roofing that was ripped from the elementary school during the June 1 tornado. Repairs are estimated at $25,000, Maher said.
Following a tour of Munger Hill School, along with damaged schools in Springfield June 8, state Treasurer Steven Grossman and SBA director Katherine Craven advised local officials to submit cost estimates on school damage through the agency’s emergency process.
But both Maher and Mayor Daniel M. Knapik favor replacement of the entire roof because of its age. The roof is 19 or 20 years old, and total replacement will be necessary in the near future, they said.
Maher said new roofs will be installed on Southampton Road and Highland Elementary schools at a cost of $2.4 million. That project includes design, asbestos abatement and removal of old roofing.
“That project was approved last year for SBA funding,” Maher said.
The School Department is also planning roof repairs at Westfield Vocational-Technical High School and replacement of boilers at Highland, Paper Mill and Southampton Road elementary schools and Westfield High School.
Those projects are estimated at a total of $8.4 million. SBA last week approved funding for those projects in the amount of $5.3 million,
City officials recently approved a $12 million bond to cover its share of the cost for school projects.