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District details summer maintenance, energy upgrades and timeline for major capital projects
Summary
Officials reviewed summer maintenance work across four schools, installation of 75 mobile SMART Boards, energy management system savings, EV charging infrastructure and a timeline for field and building projects; borrowing and bond steps are underway.
The School Committee heard a combined update on summer maintenance, energy-management work and the district—s capital projects timeline. Facilities staff highlighted completed maintenance, the ongoing energy management system (EMS) installations, EV-charging infrastructure and plans for larger projects such as field renovations and HVAC replacements.
Facilities staff member Jay described major summer work: removal and redeployment of 75 SMART Boards from wall mounts to mobile carts, routine boiler and kitchen equipment servicing, plumbing repairs, carpet and floor work, and installation of an energy management system. "They did get it all done," Jay said of the SMART Board work, noting maintenance staff had to assemble carts and patch walls.
The superintendent reported the district received a Green Communities grant tied to its energy-management project and an estimated savings of $124,715. He also said the district is installing EV-charging infrastructure and has placed a concrete pad for a transformer and conduit; the transformer placement and who pays for replacement remains under discussion with National Grid after the district received a bill for $55,000.
On larger capital work, the district described roof and HVAC schematics in the design phase, a multi-year schedule for field construction with front-field work planned to begin June and continue through August 2027, and a proposed back-field phase in 20272028. The superintendent said lead times for items such as generators can be about a year and that the district will coordinate construction timing to limit program disruption. He also described next steps on procurement: an OPM request-for-services to be posted and meetings with bond counsel and S&P to prepare for borrowing.
On financing, the superintendent said the district will seek committee authorization to borrow and noted discussions on how to structure payments and whether to do staged borrowings; he said officials will set up a separate checking account for project funds. Committee members asked about sequencing and community field use during construction; officials said district programs will have priority while out-of-district groups may need to seek alternatives.
No final construction approvals were voted at the meeting; the committee scheduled building-committee meetings and outreach materials to keep the public updated as design and procurement proceed.
