Fall River Voters Approve Debt Exclusion to Fund New Durfee

FALL RIVER — A new B.M.C. Durfee High School is coming to Fall River.

City voters approved a debt exclusion Tuesday that will help fund the project. It passed 61 percent to 39 percent, with 4,941 "yes" votes, and 3,136 votes against.

That's a total of 8,084 ballots cast in the special election, about 16.6 percent of eligible voters in Fall River--which, considering what a hot-button issue a Durfee has been among city residents, is shockingly low.

The new Durfee is estimated to cost about $263.5 million. The city is able to put up $40 million from its coffers. The debt exclusion was necessary to fund another $58.5 million of the project, which will be paid off with a 30-year bond that is expected to raise the average homeowner's property taxes by about $115 a year over the life of the bond. The Massachusetts School Building Authority is picking up the remaining $165 million of the tab for the new school.

The new 5,000-plus-square-foot Durfee High is expected to open in 2021.