Doctor Franklin Perkins School Builds New Middle School, Dormitory With $17 Million MassDevelopment Bond

November 9, 2020

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contacts:
Kelsey Schiller, MassDevelopment, 617-694-9695 (cell)
kschiller@massdevelopment.com

Naomi R. LeBlanc, Doctor Franklin Perkins School, 978-368-6449
nleblanc@perkinschool.org

Rendering of new middle school and Janeway Education Center

MassDevelopment has issued a $17,080,000 tax-exempt bond on behalf of Doctor Franklin Perkins School (Perkins), a nonprofit human services provider and school in Lancaster serving children and adults from across New England. The organization will use bond proceeds and philanthropic contributions to demolish an existing building and build a new middle school and student residence, both of which will replace aging buildings and provide new opportunities for individualized care and support programs. Perkins will also use bond proceeds to build an arts education wing onto the school’s existing Janeway Education Center, creating space for another science classroom in the main building. Construction on this phase of the school’s campus improvements began in September 2020 and is expected to be complete by fall 2021. TD bank purchased the bond, which was also used to refinance previously issued debt.

“We are proud to provide tax-exempt financing to help Doctor Franklin Perkins School build, renovate, and achieve long-term goals for its campus,” said MassDevelopment President and CEO Lauren Liss. “These new facilities will allow the organization to continue its work providing quality education and supportive services to children and adults with special needs and their families.”

Founded in 1896, the Doctor Franklin Perkins School offers day and residential services, including education for children and adults with mental health, developmental, and educational challenges. Perkins’ Lancaster campus provides a beautiful setting and environment to explore, and is dedicated to providing exceptional academic, social, emotional, and behavioral supports and related services.

“In this fast-paced world, it’s important to be planning for the future, even as we balance a lot of complexity day to day,” said Doctor Franklin Perkins School President and CEO Michael W. Ames. “This bond and the facility improvements we will make with it, will allow Perkins to provide a state of the art education and create innovative and effective programming for generations of people with special needs to come.”

MassDevelopment, the state’s finance and development agency, works with businesses, nonprofits, banks, and communities to stimulate economic growth across the Commonwealth. During FY2020, MassDevelopment financed or managed 341 projects generating investment of more than $2.69 billion in the Massachusetts economy. These projects are estimated to create or support 10,871 jobs and build or preserve 1,787 housing units.