Boston Council Committee Hears $11.1 Million Loan Order for Two School Window Projects

BOSTON -- November 6, 2025, Boston's Ways and Means Committee heard an $11.1 million loan order Thursday to fund window and door replacement at the Gardner Pilot Academy and Linden Elementary School under the state's Accelerated Repair Program. Committee Chair Brian Worrell and Councilor Edward M. Flynn were the only members present for the virtual hearing, which drew no public testimony and no opposition. Public Facilities Department Executive Director Carlton Jones and senior project manager Brian McLaughlin told the committee the Massachusetts School Building Authority approved both schools at its October 29 board meeting; approval triggers the appropriation request, which requires at least two council votes two weeks apart. The $11.1 million would carry the projects through design in winter-spring 2026 and into construction in summer 2027. Jones said construction costs have risen from roughly $300 per square foot before the pandemic to $1,100 to $1,200 today, though he described bids as "plateauing." The Public Facilities Department expects to return to the council in January with a separate appropriation for four additional schools, Murphy, Everett, Kenny, and O'Donnell, and again in March for the Adams School.