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Tag: Lowell Public Schools

  • Lowell’s Washington School cleared for lead contamination

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    LOWELL — During separate meetings, both the School Committee and the Board of Health weighed in on suspected lead contamination at a worksite at Washington Elementary School, with the BOH requesting protocols on future projects.

    At the Nov. 19 School Committee meeting, Superintendent of Schools Liam Skinner assured the body that the official report of in-depth testing, performed by Titan Lead Testing LLC on dust generated by recent repair work, showed that “there are no lead levels of concern in the school.”

    “We’re pleased that the situation was mitigated in the way that it was,” Skinner said.

    The school, which Skinner described as one of the district’s oldest buildings, was built in 1910.

    According to previous Sun reporting, a section of the ceiling collapsed in the basement in early fall. But the cleanup of the debris and repair of the area by employees with the Department of Public Works spread dust throughout the building that is home to pre-K through grade 4 students and staff.

    The school district uses the buildings, but almost all are owned by the city. The district is responsible for custodial services, like cleaning, while the city is responsible for repairs and improvements.

    “It seems as though the area was wrapped in such a way that dust should not have escaped from the area where the construction was going on, but that was clearly not sufficient or didn’t work well,” Skinner said. “So, dust from the area did travel. It was quite remarkable to witness the extent to which dust could travel from the lower areas to the upper areas.”

    An over-the-counter kit indicated that there might be lead in the dust, and the district ordered testing through Titan, as well as a thorough cleaning of the school over the weekend of Nov. 15-16.

    Skinner said School Deputy Facilities Director John Leahy oversaw the weekend cleaning. The former School Committee member, District 3 – Belvidere city councilor and mayor owned and operated Leahy Painting for 25 of the 40 years that he was a professional painter. He gave up his private contracting business to take a position in the Facilities Department of Lowell Public Schools.

    “John Leahy was quite familiar with lead paint and lead paint dust issues and knew the correct procedure for cleaning that,” Skinner told the committee. “He was able to be there and instruct people on the proper techniques and the proper equipment.”

    School reopened that Monday.

    The lead conversation was raised in the Board of Health meeting held Jan. 7 at City Hall. Unlike the School Committee meeting, the Titan report was attached to agenda packet and part of the public record.

    Health and Human Services Director Lisa Golden said that although the school does have some lead paint in it, all the testing came back negative.

    Titan referenced the issue of undisturbed lead, noting that when renovation, repair or painting activities are performed in premises identified as housing or child-occupied facilities, work must be done in accordance with the “RRP Rule” as described in the Code of Massachusetts Regulations, 454 CMR 22.00.

    “Renovation and demolition activities that impact surfaces where lead may be present require specific work practices and disposal requirements,” said the report written by Master Inspector/Risk Assessor David Pesce, and addressed to DPW Commissioner Paul St. Cyr.

    “These regulations require the use of trained workers and firms, including a certified Lead-Safe Renovation Supervisor, notification to occupants, occupant protections, posting of signs, use of containment, lead-safe work practices, cleaning requirements, and post-cleaning verification or clearance,” Pesce said.

    The report recommended that an ongoing operations and maintenance plan should be developed in order to identify surfaces containing lead-based paint which may be disturbed by renovation and maintenance activities such as painting or repairs.

    “This plan would outline procedures for testing surfaces, training of workers, worker protection, occupant protection, and post-work cleanup of work areas,” Pesce said.

    Given the age of the building, state regulations and the Titan report, BOH member Kathleen Cullen-Lutter questioned what process was in place to address present or potential lead-based work.

    “Maybe [Golden] can clarify with Mr. St. Cyr that there is a process if they were to disturb the lead that they would have that process in place,” Chair Jo-Ann Keegan said.

    Environmental issues surrounding aging facilities in district buildings have dominated the city-school discourse. For years, the almost 60-year-old Pawtucketville Memorial Elementary School, located at 425 West Meadow Road, has had a proclivity for mold growth that has, at times, delayed the opening of the first day of classes.

    In 2024, a “considerable” amount of asbestos was found in parts of the 1922 building that is under renovation during the $422 million Lowell High School renovation and rebuilding project. Construction dust was monitored during the project after high levels were found in adjacent classrooms.

    More recently, the Sullivan Middle School experienced flooding when four heating coils froze in early December, flooding the school library.

    Pesce’s report cautioned that not all surfaces were tested at the Washington School, suggesting that a protocol for future work would be warranted.

    “Additional lead-containing building substrates and components may be present in other building areas or hidden by floor, wall and ceiling finishes or otherwise may be inaccessible,” his report said.

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    Melanie Gilbert

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  • Project LEARN launches Lowell Schools Fund

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    LOWELL — Lowell High School senior Cyrus Bridge’s passion for STEM education began in fifth grade at IDEA Camp, a summer partnership between UMass Lowell, Lowell Public Schools, and Project LEARN. The weeklong camp provides hands-on STEM experiences for students in grades 5-12.

    At 17 years old, Bridge is a eight-year IDEA Camp veteran, now serving as counselor.

    “I did robotics, I did computer programming, there were art courses,” Bridge said. “It’s been great exposure and formative for my career choices — showing me that I want to go into STEM education.”

    In a time of uncertain funding, rising costs, and shifting priorities, experiential learning opportunities are at risk.

    Enter the Lowell Schools Fund — a Project LEARN initiative raising private dollars for high-impact programs in Lowell Public Schools. The fund is designed to fill gaps in public funding by soliciting donations from alumni, foundations, and corporate sponsors.

    “Federal funds are drying up; grants that we depend on are being cut back or just stopped midstream,” Superintendent of Schools Liam Skinner said. “The Lowell Schools Fund will help fill these gaps, providing educational opportunities for students that complement the work happening inside LPS classrooms.”

    The fund will invest in programs that empower the whole child: priorities include literacy and early learning, college and career readiness, STEM and arts enrichment, wraparound services, and funds earmarked for teacher innovation. Funding decisions will be made jointly by Project LEARN and LPS leadership, dispensed quarterly to respond to student needs in real time and in tight alignment with district LPS priorities.

    The establishment of the fund, which aims to raise $100,000 by the end of 2025 and $300,000 by the end of the 2025-2026 school year, was announced at the Sept. 30 grand opening of the Nancy L. Donahue Learning Lab, Project LEARN’s new space on Central Street.

    “It’s a hub for curiosity, connection, and possibility,” Project LEARN Executive Director LZ Nunn said of the Learning Lab. “It’s a place where students can see themselves as future scientists, entrepreneurs, civic leaders, and professionals — and where our community comes together to make that vision real.

    “We’re closing opportunity gaps. Every student deserves the opportunity to build the skills, confidence, and networks necessary to navigate higher education and the workforce” Nunn said.

    Support for the Fund will allow these pivotal career connected opportunities to thrive. With sustained investment, students can continue to expect access to paid internships with industry leaders, hands-on STEM experiences, immersive art projects, and ongoing opportunities to grow their 21st century skills.

    “This is a good day for Lowell,” said state Rep. Vanna Howard, who had the honor of dedicating the Learning Lab’s spacious conference room to her friend and mentor, Project LEARN co-founder and Chair Emeritus Brian Martin. “His vision and dedication to this city continue to inspire not only me, but generations of young people in Lowell.”

    Martin, a former Lowell mayor, city manager, and head of Lowell High School, and his extended family, made the first donation to the Lowell Schools Fund, pledging $10,000.

    In addition to Cyrus, several Lowell High School alumni attended the event, highlighting how programs available through LPS and Project LEARN built their confidence and improved their skills.

    Sebastian Rivera (LHS ’24) participated in the Education Pathway at Lowell High, where he was able to gain hands-on experience in a third-grade classroom at the Bailey Elementary School. While reading to a group, he noticed a student struggling to comprehend. Initially Rivera thought he was speaking too quickly or the visuals were unclear. But by the end of the lesson, he realized the student’s primary language was Spanish — just like his.

    “I was so eager to connect with this student and show him the representation that was in front of him,” Rivera said. “We were able to speak in Spanish at the end of the lesson and to see his face light up with joy because he felt seen is something that I reflect back to all the time.”

    Following that rewarding teaching experience, Rivera joined Community Teamwork’s school-age program as a group leader, teaching the same student.

    “It was a full circle moment where I was like, yeah, I’m definitely in the right spot, and it solidified that I’m on the right path,” he said.

    Today, Rivera is a junior at UMass Lowell, majoring in sociology with a concentration in policy and social problems, and dual minors in education and English.

    For more information and to support the Lowell Schools Fund, visit lowellschoolsfund.org.

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  • Cha-ching: MSBA pays out cost overrun on Lowell High rebuild

    Cha-ching: MSBA pays out cost overrun on Lowell High rebuild

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    LOWELL — The Massachusetts School Building Authority cut a check for $10,594,239 to the city of Lowell in March.

    The money represents a partial reimbursement of supplemental funding that was approved for school building projects across the commonwealth in the fiscal 2024 state budget signed last August. Lowell’s share came to almost $37 million.

    “On behalf of State Treasurer Deborah Goldberg, MSBA Chief Executive Officer James MacDonald, MSBA Executive Director Mary Pichetti and the MSBA Board of Directors, we are pleased to provide you with this reimbursement, and we look forward to continuing to work with you on the completion of the Project,” said a notification of payment email from the MSBA obtained by The Sun.

    In 2019, the MSBA voted to commit $210 million to Lowell’s then-$344 million project.

    The rebuild and renovation started in 2020 with the demolition of the doctors’ offices at 75 Arcand Drive, now home to the Riddick Athletic Center.

    In March 2022, representatives from Suffolk Construction and Skanska told the City Council that construction costs were going to be higher from supply-chain increases due to COVID.

    On average, steel went up 139%, curtainwall by 38% and drywall by 24%. Those budget overruns raised the project to its current $381 million cost, with the $38.5 million difference the responsibility of the city and its taxpayers. City councilors have long argued the unexpected costs should be the responsibility of the state.

    State Sen. Ed Kennedy filed legislation to address the issue in January 2023.

    “There are a lot of communities who went to the MSBA and got funding to move ahead with their project,” Kennedy said at the time. “They found out later that the building material costs had skyrocketed, and had raised the price.”

    In addition to Lowell, other communities were over their MSBA-approved budget funding, such as Groton at $16 million, Stoneham at $19 million and Somerville at $30 million.

    The MSBA uses the School Modernization and Reconstruction Trust Fund to fund school building projects, which in turn is funded by taking one penny from every sales transaction in the commonwealth. The Massachusetts sales tax is 6.25%.

    But the funding for Kennedy’s bill came from revenue generated by the Fair Share Amendment, also known as the “millionaire’s tax.” Passed by voters in the last state election, these funds are dedicated to transportation and public education.

    The legislation included 30 school projects estimated to receive approximately $270 million in additional grants based on increased funding limits from the MSBA.

    The supplemental funding was approved by the MSBA’s Board of Directors in October 2023.

    Skanska Project Manager Jim Dowd told the School Building Committee in February that the MSBA increased its maximum facilities grant for the almost $400 million project.

    “The potential for the maximum facilities grant went from $215 million to $252 million, which is a total increase of $36.9 million,” he said.

    Some of that money is against the construction contingency funding, which may not be spent, thereby limiting the remaining $1.5 million overrun burden on the taxpayers of Lowell.

    A construction contingency is money set aside to pay for change orders from new requests or unforeseen construction requirements, and that amount of $21.2 million is built into the overall budget figures.

    As of February, the remaining funds in the contingency account were $17.2 million.

    “There have been 18 change orders to date totaling $3.9 million,” Dowd told the committee.

    The Executive Office of Education will transfer additional funds to the MSBA in April and June, which in turn will disburse remaining funds to the city.

    Kennedy is a member of the School Building Committee and City Manager Tom Golden publicly thanked him for his legislation during the February meeting.

    “Thank you to Senator Kennedy for spearheading this, and the representatives for making sure it got through on the House side,” he said. State Reps. Vanna Howard and Rodney Elliott also sit on the committee.

    “We’re very, very thankful for these additional funds that you shepherded through,” Golden said. “Senator Kennedy, on behalf of the entire city of Lowell and the City Council, I want to say thank you very much.”

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    Melanie Gilbert

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