Wakefield Chooses 'Yes' for a New Galvin

Eight years after the last vote the town took on whether or not to build a new middle school, Wakefield voters changed their minds on Saturday: It's finally time for a new Galvin. 

The Town of Wakefield approved a debt exclusion on June 9th by a vote of 4474 to 1020, or 81 percent to 18 percent to finance the $74 million project, with $38 million coming from the town and the rest coming from the state. 

The current Galvin Middle School is 60 years old, undersized for the amount of students that attend according to state guidelines, and was deemed by the state to require too many major architectural, mechanical, plumbing and electrical system upgrades to renovate. 

Building the new school
Construction is scheduled to begin in 2013 with a completion date of August 2015.

In the first phase, which will start in June 2013 and end in August 2014, part of the school will be knocked down to make way for the academic and adminstrative portions of the new school.

In the second phase, the current academic wing would be removed to make way for a new auditorium, gymnasium, fields, and more. 

Cost for individuals
While the state is paying for $34.6 million, the town of Wakefield is still on the hook for $38.5 of the $74.6 million project, a sum that will take the town 25 years to pay off. 

The projected cost of the project per household is $188 per year, based on a house valued at $400,000 for a period of 25 years. 

To calculate your exact personal cost, take your home's assessed value and multiply by .00047.