Peabody School Committee member Beverley Griffin Dunne said at the board’s most recent meeting that the renovation project for the William A. Welch Elementary School is close to being finished.

“I’m very happy to report that the school is probably 99.9% completed,” Griffin Dunne said. “The outdoor work for the spring will start in a few weeks, but right now they’re doing a back punch on all items completed during the past two weeks.”

Dunne commended the work that was done by the crew renovating the building.

“The crew was in all during school vacation, finishing up all the items in the punch list,” Griffin Dunne said. “The care that’s going into looking at every single item in that building is impressive, and I’m very pleased to see what is going on as far as making sure we’re getting what we ordered and what we paid for.”

Dunne emphasized that the work that needs to be done outside is not included in the contract detailing what needs to be completed on the building. The items required outside the building include “a new lawn, plantings, second coats, which will come when the weather is consistently good.”

“We’re working to bring everything to a close,” Griffin Dunne said.

She also said that the School Building Committee is not scheduled for a meeting yet because its members need to gather all of the information pertaining to the project’s budget and what has already been accomplished for it.

“It will probably be mid- to-late-March for that meeting,” Griffin Dunne said. “The goal is to have it in-person because the committee has only met once, then COVID hit, and everything has been virtual ever since.”

According to the project’s website, the current estimate for its cost in total is $33 million. In 2019, a statement of interest was submitted by the district to partner with the Massachusetts School Building Authority to help fund the project. It is estimated that the MSBA will reimburse around 40% of the cost, after eligible and ineligible expenses are calculated. The MSBA generally reimburses around 55% of eligible expenses. 

“Hopefully in our next meeting, we’ll have some more definitive information for everyone,” Griffin Dunne said.