PITTSFIELD — With the understanding that it won’t cost the city any money to get in line for state funding, the School Building Needs Commission has endorsed a “statement of interest” for rebuilding Pittsfield High School.

The School Building Needs Commission, holding a special meeting Monday at Taconic High School for the purpose of reviewing the question before it goes to the City Council and School Committee, was unanimous in its support.

The presentation to the commission showed Pittsfield High is showing its 95 years, from its cracking foundation to the paint chipping off its iconic neoclassical dome. Overall, the building is in poor condition, “with many of its elements at or near the end of their life cycle,” according to the statement of interest.

When the commission met last week, Mayor Peter Marchetti and city Finance Director Matthew Kerwood cautioned that the city presently lacks the money to borrow its likely 20 percent share of a rebuild project. But both Marchetti and Kerwood voted yes on Monday, as they noted that support doesn't commit the city to spending.

“If we don’t get in the queue, we're talking about an eight-year wait rather than a four-year wait,” Marchetti said. “The important piece is to get into the queue.”

Interim Superintendent Latifah Phillips announced last month that she would attempt to submit a statement of interest for Pittsfield High to the Massachusetts School Building Authority by its April 17 deadline. Otherwise, the school district would have to wait two years for the next project eligibility window.

On Monday, Phillips said she wanted to be “proactive” in getting PHS on MBSA’s radar.

Pittsfield Mayor Peter Marchetti, left, and interim schools Superintendent Latifah Phillips review a proposed "statement of interest" seeking to make Pittsfield High School eligible for state reconstruction funding. The School Building Needs Commission endorsed that plan on Monday.

“It’s not a commitment to any final outcome. It’s not an allocation of funding, and it’s certainly not a decision that’s going to result in work being done in the immediate future,” said Brendan Sheran, who gave the presentation.

Sheran cited a number of structural deficiencies with the high school as the reasons it’s in poor condition. He noted a lack of Americans with Disabilities Act compliance throughout the building; antiquated pipes that don’t carry sufficient heat from its new boiler into classrooms; locker rooms in poor or fair condition, and exterior brick, stairs and doors in poor condition.

The statement of interest cites a rough estimate of between $67.7 million and $94.3 million for rebuilding the school and restoring its historic front facade, depending on inflation, according to the statement. A feasibility study and initial design, both years away if MSBA approves, would offer more precise estimates.

If the City Council and the School Committee support the statement of interest in votes scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively, the school district will submit the document to the MSBA for consideration in the next round.

If the agency approved the project for eligibility, an estimated timeline presented by Sheran showed it it could come up for a feasibility study as early as 2028 — the first point at which the city would need to commit a share of funding.

Schematic design and securing of funding would take place in 2030, and construction would run from 2031-33 according to the timeline Sheran offered.

Students walk from Pittsfield High School during lunch break on Monday. A "statement of interest" in rebuilding 95-year-old PHS cites problems with its front stairs, front doors and brick facade among other issues.

Pittsfield High School, at 300 East St., was built in 1931 on the site of poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s former family home, which was demolished to clear the site. A renovation and addition built in 1975 added nearly 40,000 square feet, including an expanded library and Moynihan Field House.

Improvements over the years have included a new boiler installed last year, replacing a repurposed train engine that was installed as original equipment in 1931. It now sits at 284,301 square feet.

The Pittsfield Public Schools are currently in a feasibility study for a new elementary school on the Crosby Elementary School property, in which Crosby, Conte Community School and possibly Stearns Elementary School would be consolidated. Asked if the city would be handling more than one building project at a time, Sheran said the new school is projected for completion in 2030 — well before work would start at PHS.