Cost

What is the cost of the Monument Mountain Building Project?

At its August 26 meeting, the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) Board of Directors voted to approve the Scope & Budget Agreement for the Monument Mountain Regional High School (MMRHS) Building Project. This marks a major step forward toward a new $152 million high school, with the MSBA committing about $60 million in funding, which could increase to just over $61 million depending on final project approvals. The project is also expected to receive $1.6 million in incentives from Mass Save.

The District’s local share remains set at $89 million within the approved $152 million project budget. If contingency funds are used but deemed ineligible for reimbursement, they would be covered within the District’s share; only costs above the total $152 million would require additional local approval.

Cost Comparison: Repairs vs. New Building

Repairs: $89M$89 million total project cost, $89 million district share, $0 state aid

New: $89M $152 million total project cost, $89 million district share, $61 million state aid, $1.6 million in incentives from Mass Save

As part of the Preferred Solution Report (PSR), dated December 19, 2025, the School Building Committee studied a repair-only option (“Code Upgrade/Base Repair – Alternative 1”).

Estimated Cost: $89 million, driven largely by extensive code compliance requirements.

Funding: The Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) does not provide reimbursement for repair-only projects. This means the full cost would fall to local taxpayers.

Scope of Work: Repairs would be phased over multiple summers to allow the school to remain open, creating the most disruption for current staff and students.

Limitations: No educational improvements, no security enhancements, no sustainability upgrades

After a thoughtful review of all options—including renovation/addition and new construction—the School Building Committee voted to move forward into Schematic Design with Alternative 3E, a new 3-story, 140,500 SF school located west of the existing building, designed to serve 485 students.

Cost Comparison, Repair vs. New Building, from June 16, 2025, Community Meeting presentation

Costs to maintain the current building (based on PSR cost estimate), November 25, 2024, Community Meeting presentation

Project Cost & Tax Impact FAQ’s

If the project is approved on November 4th, the District will move forward with borrowing funds for the project. Borrowing may occur in stages, depending on interest rates, but once approved, the project budget cannot increase without additional local approvals.

Construction will tentatively begin in 2027, with the new building expected to open in fall 2029. The new high school will be located on the current site, outside of the existing school’s footprint, which allows the current building to remain fully operational during construction.

If the new high school project is not approved on November 4th, the District will lose its opportunity to receive funding support from the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA). Reapplying to the MSBA could take many years and would require another expensive, non-reimbursable feasibility study, with no guarantee of being reaccepted. For context, this is BHRSD’s second invitation into the feasibility study process—an opportunity only a few districts have received. A third invitation is highly unlikely. When BHRSD most recently applied in 2022, Monument Mountain Regional High School was one of only 10 schools out of 54 accepted, based on urgent need.

Without MSBA participation, BHRSD taxpayers would eventually need to fully fund tens of millions of dollars in repairs to keep the existing high school functional. A “repair only” option was studied during the Preliminary Design Program phase of the Feasibility Study. The cost was estimated at $89 million, which would be fully borne by local taxpayers and would not qualify for MSBA reimbursement. These repairs would be phased over summers, add no new educational improvements, and would not improve security and sustainability.

By comparison, the proposed new construction project is estimated at $152 million, with up to $61 million covered by the state and $89 million as the local share. The School Building Committee selected the new construction option because it represents a stronger long-term investment for the community.

Bottom line: Turning down the project would mean paying nearly as much locally for repairs, but without state funding or educational improvements.

The total project budget is based on the Schematic Design cost estimate for the preferred design option, New Construction – Alternative 3E.

Schematic Design Submission (June 26, 2025):
- Section 16: Total Project Budget
- Section 17: Cost Estimate

Prior to the Schematic Design of New Construction Alternative 3E, the Preferred Solution Report (PSR), dated December 19, 2025 included cost estimates for all alternates:

Code Upgrade/Base Repair – Alternative 1
Renovation/Addition – Alternative 2C
New Construction – Alternative 3E (Preferred Solution)
New Construction – Alternative 3H

Detailed cost estimates for these alternatives can be found in the PSR 03 Final Evaluation of Alternatives, starting on page 158.

After a thorough review of all options, the School Building Committee elected to move forward with Alternative 3E, a new 3-story, 140,500 SF school to the west of the existing building, designed to serve 485 students.

Throughout the project, the School Building Committee (SBC) has been mindful of the financial impact of the project to today’s taxpayers while planning a school that meets the educational program and will serve the district for the next 50-100 years.

The SBC recently secured an additional $6M of state funding through the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA). Partnering with the MSBA will lower the local tax impact by approximately $61M. The SBC has also partnered with MassSave for a $1.5M incentive, and is pursuing the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center EmPower Grant, which would result in up to $5M of additional funding—resulting in a total of $67.5M in grant awards for the project.

In December 2024, after a thoughtful review of the renovation/addition and new construction options, the School Building Committee elected to move forward with Alternative 3E, a new 3-story, building to the west of the existing building. The compact design provides an efficient building footprint and allows for shorter construction duration, saving the district on temporary phasing and construction escalation. The reuse of the existing parking lot in the site design was another consideration that reduced the overall cost.

The SBC has decided to bid the project as Chapter 149, Design-Bid-Build (DBB), assuring that the General Contractor with the lowest bid price will be awarded the project in a competitive bid environment.

The MSBA grant amount will be finalized at the end of August, and the local tax impact will be known. If the project is approved by local voters on November 4, 2025, the Design Development phase will proceed, and cost-savings measures will be evaluated at each design milestone leading up to construction ensuring the project is on budget and there are opportunities to lower the project cost.