Wildwood Recommended For MA School Building Authority Eligiblity

WILMINGTON, MA — The Massachusetts School Building Authority staff recommended that Wilmington's Wildwood Elementary School advance to the next stage in consideration for funding at the authority's board meeting Wednesday, the district said Thursday.

"The invitation into the grant program represents a first but important step for our community in attending to not only the needs of the Wildwood Elementary School, but also our elementary school facilities as a whole, given that the Town has expressed interest in exploring some form of school consolidation," the district said.

>>Read the full district announcement here.

The board will approve invitations to the "eligibility period," a 270-period when the authority determines "whether a district is ready to manage and fund a capital project," according to the authority. The invitation does not guarantee a project will eventually get funded.

The MSBA grant program funds up to 40 percent of building costs and can take as much as seven years before a project is completed. Wilmington recently partnered with the authority to construct Wilmington High School.

Wilmington submitted a statement of interest for Wildwood funding in spring of 2020. District officials met with the MSBA staff in March to discuss options for consolidating the district's elementary schools.

Christopher Huffaker can be reached at 412-265-8353 or chris.huffaker@patch.com.