Neary Building Committee schedules outreach sessions, tours and FAQs ahead of April town meeting

The Neary Building Committee of the Town of Southborough on March 17 set a series of public outreach sessions, planned building tours and website updates to explain the proposed school project ahead of the town meeting vote in early April.

Committee members said the outreach will include topic-specific forums on site considerations, education benefits, and project finance; recorded and live sessions; targeted community appearances; and tightened frequently asked questions (FAQs) and visuals on the project website.

Committee Chair Jason (Neary Building Committee member) said the communication subcommittee has been meeting regularly and asked the full committee what additional outreach was needed, asking, "what are we missing?" in order to reach voters before the ballot. Mark Davis, a committee member, urged the group to show the community the building’s condition, saying the town has "a 50 year old building that has some significant issues" and that many repairs would require vacating the school. "These issues are not going away," he said.

Why it matters: committee members said residents still do not fully appreciate the existing school’s condition and the financial and logistical differences between renovating the current building and building new. Committee members tied the outreach schedule to the special town meeting—expected in early April—so voters can see materials and ask questions before casting votes.

Most immediate plans

- Site and facilities forum: A meeting with the DPW superintendent and Tim from PAR (site consultant) is planned (date TBD) to discuss site considerations and the specific feedback about the site. Committee members said they intend to coordinate the date so Mark Davis can attend. The DPW superintendent and Tim from PAR were cited as presenters for the session.

- Education benefits forums: Two sessions addressing grade configuration and educational program details are scheduled for April 8 (daytime) and April 10 (evening), to be led by school administrators.

- Finance forums: Two sessions are scheduled for March 31 (evening) and April 5 (Saturday) focused on project costs; one will be via Zoom to facilitate recording and the other live. Committee members said recordings will be made available for those who cannot attend.

- Building tours and visuals: Members recommended additional tours of the existing Neary building and suggested a before-and-after video or renderings for the website to help residents visualize the new building. The committee discussed opening the building to the public in late March or early April and using visual materials—renderings, a short video, or a banner showing the proposed design—so voters can see the current conditions and the planned improvements.

- Broadcast and community outreach: Committee members discussed running earlier project meetings on Southborough Access TV, hosting a table at the town’s April 12 Easter event to reach families, and working with Southborough Access Media (represented by Terry) to distribute materials. The Arrowstreet architecture team and Skanska representatives were present and offered to help produce a short brochure or packet illustrating educational spaces and key project features.

- FAQs and website updates: The committee reviewed FAQs and decided to keep fuller answers available online rather than overcompressing them. Committee members asked colleagues to flag missing questions so the communications subcommittee can create or refine answers. Town staff Kathy Carmignani and others were credited with recent website updates that include more detail on existing conditions and comparison materials.

Specific community details and concerns

Committee members emphasized: (1) demonstrating the existing building’s deficiencies to residents who have not visited the site; (2) clarifying that the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) funding path supports the current proposal and that alternative designs or major changes would likely require a new MSBA application and additional time; (3) adding a page or FAQ section listing community benefits of the new building (for example, improved, usable gym and art spaces that could serve community programs); and (4) preserving a small memorial garden and locating a time capsule now known to be in the courtyard.

Committee logistics and next steps

The communication subcommittee will finalize dates and rooms for the scheduled sessions, post the events as open public meetings so committee members can attend and vote if a quorum is present, and continue to update the website with renderings, photos and short informational brochures. Arrowstreet offered to format a short four-page brochure with floor plans and highlights; committee members also discussed producing a short before-and-after video or banner to place near the school.

Votes at the meeting

The committee approved the Feb. 20, 2025 meeting minutes; the chair recorded the approval as a 4-0-1 vote (four ayes, zero nays, one member frozen/absent). The committee later voted unanimously to adjourn.

The meeting concluded with an invitation for public comment (none was recorded) and the chair’s motion to adjourn, which passed by roll call.