New Mckinley School Still Siting at Hill Park

The comprehensive constructions estimates for the new McKinley School have been completed and look to still point towards the Hill Park site.

Superintendent Paul Dakin said that the comprehensive estimates (which include everything, including land takings and relocation costs) were done for all four options, and the Hill Park site came in the lowest at $44,385,000.

That would mean the City’s taxpayers would have to pick up $15.5 million of that cost (as the state pays for 80 percent of construction-related costs).

“When you look at the cost of the four options – including the taking of properties at Fernwood Place – the Hill Park site ends up being the cheapest site for the taxpayers,” he said. “Now, the education we’ve received over the last eight months about these sites has come through with concrete evidence pointing to Hill Park. This is simply the cheapest option for getting a school in the neighborhood. As much as some might think it was muscled into place, it wasn’t.”

Dakin said the first option he – and many – preferred was putting the school on the site of the Harry Della Russo Stadium. However, relocating the Stadium has proven to be cost prohibitive and the estimate for the Stadium site was the most expensive option, at $48,400,000 (City portion would be $19,580,000).

The second most reasonable estimate was renovating the existing McKinley School, an option that nobody seems to prefer.

It would cost $45,600,000, with the City’s share being $17.5 million.

Building a new school on the current McKinley School site would cost $47 million, with the City’s share being $18.18 million.

The City has turned in all documents to the state School Building Authority for a presentation coming up in January.