Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:

SECTION 1. Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, the city known as the town of Watertown may enter into 1 or more leases of all or a portion of the property known as the Coolidge School, contingent upon town council authorization. Any such lease shall be awarded under section 16 of chapter 30B of the General Laws and shall be made on such terms and conditions, including the length of the term thereof if the term does not exceed 25 years, as shall be determined by the town manager to be in the best interests of the town.

SECTION 2. A lessee selected under this act shall be responsible for the cost of any and all construction, reconstruction, alteration, remodeling, repair and maintenance of the Coolidge school building or grounds, collectively referred to in this act as improvements, including the cost of any design services. The design and construction of any such improvements shall be subject to the prior approval of the town of Watertown, and shall be exempt from the provisions of the General Laws related to the construction, reconstruction, alteration, remodeling, repair and maintenance of improvements to public property, including sections 38A½ to 38O, inclusive, of chapter 7, section 39M of chapter 30, chapter 30B, and sections 44A to 44H, inclusive, of chapter 149 of the General Laws.

Sections 26 to 27H, inclusive, of said chapter 149 shall apply to any contracts entered into by the lessee for the construction of such improvements.

SECTION 3. Before the construction of any improvements under this act, the lessee shall provide the town of Watertown with a performance and labor and materials payment bond in the amount of 100 per cent of the value of the improvements to be constructed and with certificates of insurance indicating the existence of such coverage as the town manager shall determine to be in the best interests of the town.

SECTION 4. All improvements constructed under this act shall become and remain the property of the town of Watertown upon the termination of leases awarded under this act.

SECTION 5. This act shall take effect upon its passage.