Ground was broken in November on constructing a new Diman Regional Vocational Technical High School on Stonehaven Road. Thus far the project has progressed as expected.
Diman Superintendent/Director Brian Bentley says since late last year construction crews have been focusing on earthwork at the site of the school’s former athletic fields.
Mr. Bentley says he has received complaints from local neighbors since the start of the project but guidelines are in place to minimize the impact in the neighborhood.
Diman has committed to the City of Fall River and the Towns of Somerset, Swansea and Westport to keep the project’s budget under control in the face of rising costs due to inflation.
Mr. Bentley says to keep the cost to taxpayers in line with initial projections, the new facility will have to do without some cosmetic enhancements.
The four cities and towns served by Diman are preparing to come up with their share of the construction cost. This year and next communities have been charged the interest cost on the construction loans. Fall River paid roughly $600,000 this year and will be asked to pay $800,000 for FY 2025. The city will likely pay more in FY 2026. In FY 2027 the city will be on the hook to pay over $6 million annually for the next 30 years. Mr. Bentley says the amount communities will pay cannot be finalized at this time.
Mayor Paul Coogan said last week he is looking to ask the city council to set a special election asking voters to approve a debt exclusion to raise taxes to pay for the Diman construction. Voters in 2018 voted in favor of a similar exclusion to pay for the construction of the new BMC Durfee High School.
Despite many unknowns, the project moves forward and those within the Diman community are still excited about what lies ahead.
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