What Is the True Cost of Renovating Rundlett?

While I am strongly inclined to support the construction of a new middle school at the current Rundlett site, it's critical that we also understand the true cost of the alternative. Shockingly, as far as I can tell, the school district has never determined what it would actually cost to renovate the existing building. Without this knowledge, how can the board make an informed decision?

There has been no final vote on building a new school, and the board won’t make that decision until the fall of 2025. They've acknowledged that they could decide then that the project is unaffordable. But if a new school isn’t approved, what’s the backup plan? Alarmingly, there doesn't seem to be one, leaving the district in a vulnerable position.

The district has deferred critical maintenance at Rundlett for years, operating under the assumption that the building would be demolished. Yet, according to engineers, there are is no "evidence of structural distress." Yes, costly repairs and cosmetic fixes are needed, but those could presumably be addressed for a fraction of the $152 million price tag on new construction. Admittedly, renovating wouldn’t resolve the building's outdated layout, it would likely disrupt students, and require expensive modular classrooms. But even with these drawbacks, it would almost certainly cost significantly less than the current new-build proposal.

So why doesn’t the board know the actual cost of a full-scale renovation? Instead, they’ve relied on a 2017 study that estimated $100 million—based on plans to tear down most of the building and include a now-abandoned YMCA addition. Somehow, this extensive demolition and rebuild has since been mischaracterized as the cost of 'renovation,' as seen in a Concord Monitor infographic. Despite being inaccurate, this inflated figure continues to shape public perception

Although I favor new construction if financially feasible, we must remain pragmatic. We cannot make a well-informed decision without knowing the cost of the alternative.