Schools

MassBay College, Framingham Agree To 2-Year Lease Extension

Mass Bay Community College and Framingham have agreed to a 2-year lease extension for the college to use the former Farley School building Framingham Patch has learned.

UPDATED: 11 a.m. School Committee releasedits agenda and will vote onthe 2-year lease Monday night

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Framingham Patch has learned that MassBay Community College and Framingham has agreed, in terms, to a 2-year lease extension for the college to use the former Farley School building on Flagg Drive, next to Fuller Middle School and across from McCarthy Elementary School.

Find out what's happening in Framinghamwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Framingham School Committee is expected to approve a 2-year lease extension agreement, negotiated behind closed doors, for the college at its meeting on Monday night. Terms of the lease will not be released until after the vote.

The college's original lease ends in August 2013.

Find out what's happening in Framinghamwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Framingham Town Meeting, earlier this month, approved $400,000 for the School Department to complete a feasibility study on the future use of the Farley and Fuller schools. The earliest construction has ben discussed for the schools has been 2015.

The Framingham School Department says its has a space crunch at the elementary school level. Framingham Patch reported this week that the incoming kindergarten class for the fall - the class of 2026 - is the third class in a row of more than 800 students.

As the elementary level enrollment continues to rise, a consultant suggested the enrollment to bubble at the middle school level starting in 2017.

Also in October, Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick announced $22 million in capital funds for Massachusetts Bay (MassBay) Community College to construct a new Allied Health academic building and to explore opportunities for a permanent campus in downtown Framingham.

MassBay Community College President John O’Donnell, at an event on the Framingham campus in April, said college is going through the required steps with the Commonwealth to identify and construct a new campus. He estimated the earliest a new campus could open would be 2-3 years.

While the school department wants use of the building the money for the lease goes to the Town of Framingham.

MassBay pays the Townof Framingham about $750,000 a year to use the former school.


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