Fox Hill Budget Estimates Come in Around $100 Million

The Fox Hill Building Committee came together Tuesday night to review cost estimates for the proposed building from two different firms that were found to be within 1.5% of each other, with a budget range of $99.3 million to $100.04 million.

Members stressed that the design — and therefore the final cost — are still in deliberation. Many costs are baked into the budget as contingencies for when individual pieces of the project cost more than expected. The preferred solution and concept selected by the Committee is a two-story Fox Hill only school at 91,000 square feet located in the northern part of the current Fox Hill site. The group also discussed the various engineering options and tradeoffs that could affect the budget.

The project is subject to reimbursement from the Massachusetts School building Authority (MSBA), and estimates currently have that reimbursement at $33 million, meaning taxpayers would be on the hook for about $60-65 million after other incentives. The question of project funding is expected to go before Town Meeting this September and to the town at large via a debt exclusion ballot question at the April 2025 local election.

The group will meet again on June 25 to submit the schematic designs ahead of the School Committee Meeting, and they'll be hosting a virtual community information session on June 12.

Summary and timestamps from the meeting:

• Approving the minutes from the previous meeting and allowing for public comment (09:24-10:49)
• Discussing outreach efforts to inform the public about the Fox Hill school building project, including via robo calls (11:16-12:52)
• Reviewing the project budget, cost estimates, and discussions around managing risk (25:39-31:09)
• Presenting potential cost savings options for the project (14:24-15:24)
• Discussing decisions around elements like canopy design, interior materials, and daylighting (20:14-21:44)
• Adding funds to the budget to incorporate canopy options while maintaining flexibility (37:44-38:34)
• Setting next steps like updating the budget, presenting to the community, and submitting designs (41:59-43:14, 50:14-50:39)