State awaits Showell school

Request misses deadline but extension possible if county, 

board can agree

Though the Showell school project is more than likely killed for another year because of the impasse between the Worcester County Commissioners and the Worcester County Board of Education, David Lever, the executive director of the state Public School Construction Program, signaled his intention this week to extend the deadline should an agreement be reached.

Lever couldn’t say how far, or for how long, this extension could last, placing the onus on the county and schools to get on the same page quickly.

“We have a strong interest in seeing that good projects are done,” Lever said. “It’s a technical failure to meet the deadline.”

To that end, an ad-hoc committee composed of Commissioners Jim Bunting, Chip Bertino and Ted Elder as well as a number of Board of Education officials, will negotiate prior to the budget decision to see if plans for a new elementary school can be brought back on track.

Bunting confirmed another meeting, possibly a last-ditch effort, of that committee would be held “soon.”

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