Mayor Christopher Johnon, pictured here in a file photo, told the School Committee that the district’s four elementary schools — James Clark, Clifford Granger, Benjamin Phelps and William P. Sapelli — need new roofs.
Reminder Publishing file photos
AGAWAM — While much attention has been focused on construction of a new building to replace the aging high school, other schools in the district also are facing infrastructure issues.
Mayor Christopher Johnon, who also serves as chair of the School Committee, told the committee at its Feb. 25 meeting that the district’s four elementary schools — James Clark, Clifford Granger, Benjamin Phelps and William P. Sapelli — need new roofs.
He said the existing roofing systems — a combination of asphalt shingles and PVC membrane — were installed in 1997 as part of renovations and expansions at the four schools, which are among the oldest in the district.
Johnson said the roofs are “starting to experience difficulties” — especially the flat roofs. which are the membrane sections. In hopes of helping to defray repair costs, the mayor said the town plans to apply for the Massachusetts State Building Authority’s accelerated repair program. The MSBA, a quasi-independent public authority, provides grants that partially fund K-12 school districts for school construction and renovation projects.
The ARP follows a shorter, more aggressive project timeline than the MSBA’s standard repair program to complete projects limited to specific scope items, such as roof replacements. It also may allow districts to repair more than one school at a time. If the town is accepted into the program, it could receive reimbursement from MSBA for about 50% of the roof repair costs.
“Our plan is to try to do a roof a year over the next four or five years for the elementary schools,” said Johnson. “They’re, unfortunately, not considered one project. They’re considered four separate applications, so, we’re hoping we can get at least one, if not more, of the schools into the MSBA program.”
The cost to replace each roof is between $800,000 at the smaller schools and as much as $1.2 million for the larger schools. The smaller roofs are at Clark and Sapelli, with Phelps and Granger having larger roofs as well as gable roofs with shingles.
Johnson said membrane roofs, even ones of high quality that were installed at the elementary schools, have about a 20- to 25-year lifespan while shingle roofs have a 30- to 35-year lifespan. He added that after the roofs were installed several of the town’s building maintenance staff attended training on making repairs. It was provided by the company that manufactured and installed the roofs.
“That training has been passed down, so we’re able to do some of the patchwork ourselves, and we’ve had some contractors who were able to come in and were able to do it,” said the mayor. But the reality, he said, is that despite regular repairs to address leaks and water issues, the roofs have surpassed their useful lives and need to be replaced.
The first step to be invited into the ARP is to submit a statement of interest to the MSBA. The committee voted to suspend the rules to take up a business item on the agenda that would authorize School Superintendent Sheila Martin to submit the SOI by the March 21 deadline. Following a brief discussion by the committee, it was approved unanimously, 7-0.
The original portion of Phelps with the gable roof opened in 1939, with classrooms with flat roofs added later as school enrollment increased. The school was known as the Agawam Center School when it opened but was renamed in honor of former School Superintendent Benjamin Phelps following his death in a car accident in 1946.
The original gable roof section at Granger opened in 1949. Later, additions to the school included classrooms with a flat roof. The school is named after former School Superintendent Clifford Granger who died unexpectedly in 1946.
Clark School opened 1957 and was originally known as the South Street School. It was later renamed after former School Superintendent James Clark following his retirement.
The former Robinson Park School opened in 1959. In 2023, it was renamed for retired school Superintendent and former Mayor William Sapelli after he left office.
