August 6, 2015
Members of the Billerica Community:
Earlier this morning, the Board of Directors of the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) voted
unanimously to accept the Preferred Schematic Report for Billerica Memorial High School and to approve the
Town of Billerica to proceed into Schematic Design for the high school project. The schematic design phase of
the project is the fourth of eight modules in the MSBA process, and will result in the determination of the
scope, budget, and schedule of the high school project.
“We continue to be incredibly grateful for the MSBA’s partnership and support with this project,” said
Superintendent Tim Piwowar. “They have provided excellent feedback throughout the process, and we look
forward to the next phase in creating a first-rate high school for Billerica that is both educationally appropriate
and cost-effective.”
Today’s vote signifies that the MSBA has accepted the district’s preferred option of building a new high school
on the existing high school site. The building will add Grade 8 students to the existing high school, resulting in
a building designed for 1,610 students in Grades 8-12. In addition, the building will also house Project Support,
the district’s integrated preschool, and Project BEAM, the district’s early intervention program.
“We’ve made it to this point as the result of everyone in town working together,” said School Committee
Chairman Mark Efstratiou. “I’m positive that we’ll wind up with an incredible new BMHS as a result of this
great spirit of collaboration.”
The project’s next major milestone will be to submit the Schematic Design to the MSBA, and upon approval,
enter into a Project Scope and Budget Agreement and a Project Funding Agreement with the Authority. The
current project schedule calls for the Schematic Design to be submitted in December 2015 in preparation for
the MSBA Board of Directors meeting on January 27, 2016. If approved, the Town would then hold a Special
Town Meeting and town-wide election on the project in February/March 2016.
“I’ve always said that this was going to be a town-wide project,” said High School Building Committee
Chairman Kevin Heffernan. “It’s an exciting day for the future of our kids.”
The next meeting of the High School Building Committee will be Tuesday, August 11, at 6:30pm in the Buck
Auditorium at Town Hall, and more information can be found at the Building Committee’s website at
http://tinyurl.com/bmhsbc.
Timothy G. Piwowar
Superintendent
365 Boston Road
Billerica, MA 01821
(978) 528-8500
(978) 528-7909
www.billerica.k12.ma.us