Lakeville’s “largest ever capital expense” could be coming in the near future when the town pays its share of renovations or new construction for Old Colony Regional Vocational Technical High School, according to Select Board Member Rich LaCamera. 

LaCamera said the project could cost $100 million, which the school’s Superintendent Aaron Polansky called “conservative.”  The exact amount of money Lakeville will contribute to the project will be determined at future Select Board meetings. 

Polansky presented the school’s goals, the members of the project’s building committee, and future steps of the project during a Dec. 19 Select Board meeting. Polansky and the Select Board discussed the possibilities of building either an addition or a new building for the high school. 

In recent years, Old Colony has received an average of 300 applications for 140 spots per grade level. The school is seeking to add vocational programs, reduce class sizes, and increase academic and vocational staff, according to a report created by Old Colony officials.

Because the school’s student body skews male, Polansky said renovations would allow the district could add programs including dental assistant or biotechnology programs to attract more female applicants.

The first step of the project, a feasibility study, will cost between $1 million and $1.2 million, according to Polansky. The study will determine the best plan for the school.

The school needs all five of its constituent towns to approve funding for a feasibility study to plan the project. In addition to Lakeville, Old Colony Regional Technical High School serves Acushnet, Carver, Mattapoisett, and Rochester.

Most of the study’s costs will be offset by the district’s $933,000 stabilization fund, which Polansky said was established for the purpose of this project. 

“We have to figure out what percentage of the fund should be allocated,” Polansky said.

The project is eligible for Massachusetts School Building Authority reimbursements to help offset the cost of construction. In March, Old Colony was accepted into the Massachusetts School Building Authority’s eligibility period, which gave the school 270 days to submit information about the school and its future plans ahead of a possible reimbursement.

Polansky created a building committee for the project. Its members include Polansky, one school committee from each town, the school’s facilities director, the school committee chair, the school principal, a teacher, a budget official or local finance committee member, a community member with experience in architecture or construction, a fire or police chief, community representation, and representation from the Parent-Teacher Organization or foundation.

The committee will have 22 members in total.

“We want to make sure stakeholders all feel like they have the opportunity to be heard,” Polansky said.

“I was a little surprised at the way the committe was put together,” said Select Board Vice-Chair Evagelia Fabian.

Select Board Member Richard LaCamera agreed with Fabian.

“I think we should have been notified about what was going on, and we weren’t,” LaCamera said. He added that he found out about the committee on the weekend before the Dec. 19 meeting.

Fabian requested that Polansky keep the Select Board updated on the project’s progress in the coming months.

“When the other member communities know something, if we could know it at the same time, that would be great,” Fabian said.

The money’s allocation will be voted on during Annual Town Meeting in Spring 2023.