BELCHERTOWN — The Jabish Brook Middle School Building Committee officially approved the schematic design for a new school, and will now move on to calculating an official budget for the project before a townwide Proposition 2½ debt exclusion override vote in June to pay the town’s share of the estimated $120 million and $123 million cost.

The new 113,900-square-foot school will replace the current building on the same site on North Washington Street. Developed by international company SKANSKA, the three-story building is designed to house 475 students in grades 6-8, along with larger community spaces such as a gymnasium with a full-size basketball court, a baseball field with overlapping soccer field, and a cafeteria with an expanded kitchen.

Plans are for the current building continue to be used as the middle school until the new building is completed, potentially in 2027. The current building, built in 1964, has an array of problems that would be cost-prohibitive to fix, including absence of fire suppression systems and air conditioning, an aging roof, and mechanical systems at the end of their lifespans.

The finalized design is being sent to the Massachusetts School Building Authority to review and ensure it meets the grant program’s requirements. According to the updated grant reimbursement rates, the town will be eligible for an estimated grant of $44 million to $47 million for the project. This is an increase from the previous estimate of $31 million in reimbursement, making the project cheaper for the town than the $87 million to $89 million base repair on the current building.

With the expected state reimbursement, the cost to residents will be $74 million to $78 million. Per state law, residents will vote on a debt exclusion for the entire amount of the project, with the town’s seeking bonding for its share.

Some wary of cost

Yet even with the lowered price tag, residents who attended a public presentation of the schematic design on April 9 are still wary about taking on the cost of the new building, especially since some spaces — such as a proposed gym and bandroom — are excluded or exceed MSBA requirements, therefore receiving less or no reimbursement.

Municipal officials advocated for the need of the new building, saying it fits the current educational programs offered in the district and will provide students with a safe environment to learn.

“Look, it’s a tough decision. I get it. But I just want to (remind) you that we have a school system here that has no fire suppression system,” Superintendent Brian Cameron said. “When it’s summertime and I’m getting phone calls from parents because it’s 97 degrees on the second floor and kids are sweating and in the nurse’s office … those are the things were looking at that when we’re talked about this project”

Town Meeting voters will have the official cost of the project with a line item breakdown of each cost and calculations on tax increases for each tax bracket a few weeks before the vote on June 17.

Specific areas that do not qualify for reimbursement include a music room, a special education wing, the full-size gymnasium and various small spaces, such as the kitchen. Project architect Christina Bazelmans said these spaces are larger than MSBA requirements because district staff, teachers, parents and community members specifically asked for these spaces. At the last public presentation, parents and music teachers explicitly asked for a bandroom, a general music room and a practice space.

“It’s a reflection on the existing programs that are happening at this school,” Bazelmans said. “We heard loud and clear from the community that we do not want to downsize the music program in any way or cut any teachers or programs, so this is the amount of area that we’ve heard from the community and from the district and from the teachers that is required to continue he curriculum that exists right now.”

The gymnasium with enough bleacher space to accommodate town residents for meetings will also be excluded from the reimbursement because it is a larger space that MSBA sees fit for a middle school gym. According to JBMS Building Committee Member Lynne Raymer, the current middle school athletic field and gymnasium are used often by high school and recreation sports teams to play and practice.

“Because we don’t have really any other gym facilities in town, this is used nonstop for all of our programs,” Raymer said. “Anything less than what we’ve included in this project means they’d have to change the function of what their day-to-day program looks like.”

The remaining classrooms, science labs and educational spaces will be reimbursed up to $550 per square foot. Bazelmans said Jabish Brook and the Quabbin Reservoir inspired the interior design of the building. Wave-like patterns are seen on the ceiling and titling of the walls. Many of the panels use natural wood or oranges against a background of blues and grays. Classrooms have movable tables and desks to alter classroom structure.

“We met with all the teachers in all the different departments to figure out what’s required in each of these spaces and how do we make it flexible and how do we make it work for you,” Bazelman said.

A video rendering of the schematic design can be found on the Belchertown Public School District website under Jabish Brook Building Committee. The same page will have a full list of all the expenses of the project and all official designs.

The special election for the Jabish Brook Middle School Building will take place on June 17. If the debt exclusion is approved, it will need to be ratified by a special Town Meeting vote a week later on June 24. If the project does not pass at the election, the Town Meeting will be canceled.

Emilee Klein can be reached at eklein@gazettenet.com.