Fall River, Somerset, Westport approve plan for new Diman, Swansea is next

On Tuesday evening, Westport approved the plan for a New Diman High School at a town meeting.

After a presentation by Diman officials, Westport voters asked questions and made statements concerning the meeting agenda item.

A vote took place where a clear 2/3 majority was reached in favor of funding the new structure which led to a round of applause.

Somerset and Fall River have already approved the plan for a newly constructed building. Swansea is expected to vote on the funding for the new school on May 16th.

New Diman High School by the numbers:

Enrollment: 1500 students
Total building square footage: 394,650 square feet
Total Project Cost: $293.5 million
Potential MSBA Reimbursement: 79.77% Does not include costs such as:
• Construction Cost Cap of $360/sf
• Site Cost Cap of 8%
• Hazardous Materials
• Temp Facilities
• Un-reimbursable Square Footage

POTENTIAL MSBA FUNDING: 149.7-$152.6M
ESTIMATED DISTRICT SHARE: $139.9M – $141.9M
District Funding: 49%
Base repair of existing building if new school is not built: $156-$161 million

Estimated costs per community through property taxes (30 years)
Fall River: $6.5 million per year ($69 in property taxes for every $100,000 in home value).
Somerset: $825,000 per year, ($26 in property taxes per $100,000 in home value).
Swansea: $710,000 per year ($25 in property taxes per $100,000 in home value).
Westport: $445,000 per year ($11 in property taxes per $100,000 in home value).

The new school would be built on the current football field and would expect to break ground in 2023-2024 and be completed in 2026-2027 with the project finishing with the demolition of the current school. The new building is expected to be a 50-year solution.