Weston School Working Group Weighs Six Options Ranging Up to $440 Million

WESTON — May 1, 2025 — Weston's Middle School and High School Working Group reviewed six construction options with total project costs estimated between $380 million and $440 million, excluding a pool, field house, and grounds garage. Lead consultant Jenny presented parametric cost estimates and a timeline analysis showing that pursuing Massachusetts School Building Authority reimbursement would add roughly two years to the project schedule, with a practical effective reimbursement rate of 17 to 25 percent once ineligible costs — including the pool, oversized gym and auditorium square footage, and hazardous materials abatement — are stripped out. A colleague noted that a current Hopkinton MSBA project saw its nominal 49 percent reimbursement rate drop to an effective 29.1 percent. The pool alone, estimated at $46 million as a project cost, cannot be included in any MSBA application. Working group member Alex, citing his Finance Committee background, said he was "leaning even more towards doing without the MSBA" given borrowing flexibility and federal fiscal pressure on state revenues. Each additional year of MSBA delay adds an estimated $14 million in escalation costs. The town was not accepted in the most recent MSBA cycle and has resubmitted for the next round, with a response not expected before late 2025 at the earliest.