Boston Council Weighs $21.6 Million School Repair Plan Amid Fossil Fuel Conflict

BOSTON — January 31, 2023 — Boston City Council committee hears $21.6 million school repair request as fossil-fuel debate erupts. The Ways and Means Committee took up Docket 0111 on January 31, covering boiler replacements at Henderson Upper School and William E. Russell School and window and door replacements at Boston Day and Evening Academy and the Rafael Hernandez School, with the Massachusetts School Building Authority set to reimburse $12.7 million of the total cost. Councilor John FitzGerald and Council President Edward M. Flynn challenged BPS Superintendent of Operations Sam DePina and PFD Senior Project Manager Brian McLaughlin on whether installing 30-year gas boilers conflicts with Mayor Michelle Wu's anticipated executive order to eliminate fossil fuels from major school renovations. McLaughlin warned that pausing the projects, which have been in design since early 2021, would risk forfeiting the MSBA grant entirely. Public commenter Mike Prakash, a Dorchester resident, told councilors that new gas boilers installed in 2024 could be only 20 years into their useful life when Boston's 2050 zero-carbon deadline arrives, forcing a costly second replacement at taxpayer expense. No vote was taken.