A study for Code Upgrade only of the existing Nauset High School buildings was part of the building committee analysis, as requested by the Regional School Committee and a requirement of the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA).

The Code Upgrade option is required by MSBA to better understand the conditions of the existing buildings compared to the current Massachusetts Building Codes for public buildings.  Code compliance and upgrades include:

• disability accessibility to all parts of the school,
• upgrades to the plumbing system including the required number of toilets and sinks,
• upgrades to the electrical system,
• upgrades to the heating and ventilation systems,
• upgrades to the envelope of the buildings for insulation and thermal efficiency,
• and installing fire suppression systems and updated smoke alarms with sound and strobe light devices in all spaces.

Renovations must include repairing of all systems required for Massachusetts Building code compliance with NO modifications to existing spaces or their uses.
In the Code Upgrade proposal reviewed by the building committee there were two new additional spaces added to accomplish better accessibility to building “A” and “E”.

The Code Upgrade proposal DID NOT address the deficiencies of the spaces now being used as classrooms that were originally designed and purposed as storage rooms or spaces for student lockers that have no windows, doors or ventilation systems.
The Code Upgrade DID NOT address the needs of the school for more teaching spaces for the expanded curriculum.  There are no study halls during the school day but course studies with credits toward the needed graduation requirement of the District.  Many other teaching, special education and support services spaces outlined in the MSBA template of required spaces could not be met within the existing buildings’ footprint.
The Code Upgrade option DID NOT address the major issue of the locker and shower rooms in the basement of the gym. These spaces are inaccessible to anyone with even a slight physical injury since they are only accessed by stairways and no elevators.  The spaces have poor air quality due to inadequate ventilation and means to better improve the ventilation are difficult due the amount of reinforced concrete that defines these spaces. These locker and shower rooms comprise a total of 12,000 square feet with an estimated cost to replace them at $5,376,000 (12,000 x $448 per square foot).
The Code Upgrade DID NOT address the inadequate cafeteria which is too small and requires 3 lunch periods commencing at 10:45 in the morning to allow the complete student body to have a scheduled lunch time.

On August 28 2019, the MSBA Board of directors approved a proposed design submitted by the building committee for a project renovating over 50% of the existing buildings and construction of new spaces to fulfill the state code and MSBA requirements to meet the Nauset educational plan for the school.

The Code Upgrade option was submitted to the MSBA as an integral part of the feasibility study. The findings of the “Code Upgrade” option study – which include both code upgrades and necessary systems upgrades – reported an initial cost estimate of $91 million, which would need to be increased to cover the issues highlighted above.  That new cost estimate would be about $98 Million.

The Proposal submitted to the MSBA is currently a $131,825,665 total project cost and is eligible for a state grant of $36,661,305 for a total cost to the four member towns of $94 Million for an upgraded code compliant and revitalized educational facility.

Current Option: Renovation/Addition is eligible for MSBA grant funding