Triton Regional School Committee approves $1.7 million from stabilization fund for MSBA feasibility study, certifies design enrollments

Byfield, Massachusetts — The Triton Regional School Committee on July 23 voted to appropriate $1,700,000 from the district stabilization fund to pay for a feasibility study as the district pursues a project with the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA). The committee also voted to accept MSBA-proposed design enrollments that will be used in the feasibility and schematic design work.

The approval allows the district to proceed with MSBA Module 2 and prepares the district to enter the feasibility study phase if the MSBA places the project on its October 29 board agenda, district leaders said. The appropriation will be submitted for reimbursement through the MSBA grant program; the district noted the MSBA’s current reimbursement estimate for feasibility work is about 47.5 percent.

The votes were unanimous in a roll-call taken during the July 23 meeting conducted remotely under a state act extending remote-meeting authority. The committee’s roll call included Erin (last name not specified), Paul Goldner, Caitlin (last name not specified), Matt Landers, Paul Lees, Paul Maiett, Kelly Smolin, Nerissa (last name not specified) and Ami (last name not specified). Each recorded vote on both measures was “Yes.”

Why it matters: The feasibility study and certified design enrollments determine the scope and basic size of any replacement or renovation at the Triton Regional Middle and High School campus in Byfield. Design enrollment drives required square footage, the number of classrooms and capacity for shared spaces such as cafeterias and auditoriums. Appropriating funds from the stabilization account means the district will not ask voters for a separate ballot appropriation to cover the study costs.

What the committee approved and how it will be used

- Design enrollment certification: The committee accepted the MSBA’s proposed design enrollments for the feasibility study. The MSBA agreed to a design enrollment of 895 for grades 7–12 and 1,070 for grades 6–12. According to the board discussion, those numbers reflect baseline projections plus adjustments: MSBA staff added 45 students to account for school-choice returns and applied an adjustment for new development (75 added for the 7–12 option, 95 added for the 6–12 option). The committee was instructed to study both enrollment scenarios during the feasibility phase.

- Feasibility study appropriation: The district appropriated $1,700,000 from its stabilization fund for planning costs related to a feasibility study to consider “reconstruction or replacement of the Triton Regional Middle and High School,” 112 Elm Street, Byfield, including all related costs. The appropriation text recorded in the meeting states the amount will be reduced by any MSBA grant amount in a future feasibility study agreement and that any costs in excess of an MSBA grant will be the district’s responsibility.

Discussion and next steps

Committee members and district staff described the votes as administrative steps to keep the MSBA timeline on track. Matt Landers, chair of the school building committee, described the design enrollment result as favorable and said, “I’m very happy with that,” after presenting the MSBA’s adjustments. The superintendent (name not specified in the record) explained the enrollment certification is one of the early checkboxes leading to a feasibility study agreement and that the superintendent signs documents both as chief executive officer and as superintendent for the regional district.

District leaders said the MSBA has tentatively penciled the project for the October 29 MSBA board agenda. If accepted into Module 2, the district anticipates selecting an owner’s project manager (OPM) and designer in the months that follow (November–January, accounting for the winter holidays), with the design team expected to be under contract by late winter or early spring.

The school building committee reported ongoing early visioning work and community engagement planning to inform the educational program that will guide designers. The district has convened a visioning group composed largely of educators and plans two focused, invitation-based full-day community sessions on Sept. 30 and Oct. 15 to refine educational priorities before larger public forums once a design team is on board.

Quotes from the meeting

“I think we can confidently say we will be able to provide documents and a package of information to a designer that won’t allow them to just go off and start designing things they like rather than things that meet what we’ve decided our educational needs,” a district leader stated during the visioning update.

“I think that’s a very good number,” Matt Landers said of the $1.7 million feasibility budget recommendation.

Votes at a glance

- Motion to accept and approve MSBA-proposed design enrollments for the feasibility study and to authorize signatures on the enrollment certification by the school committee chair and superintendent — Outcome: approved (roll-call: Erin — yes; Paul Goldner — yes; Caitlin — yes; Matt Landers — yes; Paul Lees — yes; Paul Maiett — yes; Kelly Smolin — yes; Nerissa — yes; Ami — yes).

- Motion to appropriate $1,700,000 from the district stabilization fund for feasibility/planning costs for possible reconstruction or replacement of the Triton Regional Middle and High School — Outcome: approved (same unanimous roll-call as above). The recorded motion notes the MSBA grant program is discretionary and that any district costs exceeding an MSBA grant will be the district’s responsibility.

Background and context

The school committee has been preparing for an MSBA project since the district received an invitation in December to pursue the Byfield campus project. The district has already established a school building committee and has begun early visioning and documentation work (maintenance and capital planning, enrollment projections) that contribute toward reimbursement points in the MSBA process. District staff said documentation of preventive maintenance and capital planning could increase the MSBA reimbursement rate above the baseline estimate for feasibility work.

Meeting context

The meeting was conducted remotely under state legislation extending authority for hybrid and remote public meetings adopted during the COVID-19 emergency. Committee members noted the building committee has met multiple times already and will continue to meet monthly to maintain communication with member towns and avoid surprises.

Next steps

The district expects to present an executed enrollment certification and to take any additional votes required to execute a feasibility study agreement after August 27. If the MSBA accepts the project on Oct. 29, the district expects to proceed through owner’s project manager and designer selection in the subsequent months, then into the feasibility study and schematic design stages.