Andover Snags $600K Green Grant for School Roof

A state energy savings grant recently approved for Andover will offset the cost of a large school roof renovation project at West Middle to the tune of $600,000.

The Massachusetts School Building Authority announced Wednesday that they had approved 43 projects for their Green Repair Program, totaling 25.3 million.

Having submitted a statement of interest for the grant this past September, the MSBA announced Wednesday that they would be willing to reimburse the town of Andover for 39 percent of the $1,540,407 project. The grant totals $600,759.

The renovation project at the West Middle School on Shawsheen Road involves replacing 67,500 square feet of “old, deteriorated roofing” as well as the “old steel frame single pane windows.”

The project, according to town records, will generate energy savings and therefore is eligible for the green grant.

The Green Repair program is a one-time funding source of roughly $300 million, with roughly $25.3 million spent in this round. Towns are allowed to fund more than one school project with this program.

“Our Green Repair Program allows us to make much needed repairs to more schools in less time. Besides improving the learning environment for our children, the green repairs also make our schools more energy efficient, and generate significant cost savings. It's a win-win program for everyone,” stated Treasurer Steven Grossman.

The Massachusetts School Building Authority has provided roughly $7.5 billion in funding for school construction projects throughout the state in its six-year history. The state building authority has offset roughly $2.9 billion in interest costs for communities by providing reimbursements to towns in a timely manner and therefore allowing them to negotiate a more favorable interest rate with lenders.    

“The Green Repair Program will provide incredible benefits to districts by enabling the MSBA to both expedite and broaden the MSBA’s participation in repair projects, thereby maximizing the impact of this program,” stated Katherine Craven.

Learn more about the Green Repair Program here.