The Marblehead School Facilities Subcommittee on July 24 received an update on the Marblehead High School roof and HVAC replacement project and discussed schedule, procurement steps and how to preserve future options for rooftop solar.

The project team said design work is underway and that bid documents are expected in October, followed by a roughly six-week bid period and a contract award around mid-November; construction is planned for summer 2026. Lina Long, the owner’s project manager from Left Field, said the project remains in design and that the team expects to receive a 60% cost estimate in August.

Committee members and the architect described two authorized schematic approaches: the town earlier approved Option B (a full roof recover) but the school committee also authorized an alternative schematic for a liquid-applied restoration coat. Jean Raymond, owner of Raymond Design Associates, explained the technical differences, saying a recover leaves and covers the existing membrane with a high-density cover board and a new membrane with seams, while a restoration is a multilayer liquid system applied over the existing membrane with no seams. Raymond said both are “viable options” and that each has trade-offs: recover typically has a higher initial cost and seams; restoration can extend membrane life and reduce waste but depends on the condition of the existing substrates.

The subcommittee pressed staff on procurement and contractor prequalification. The project team said the formal prequalification committee had not yet been formed; procurement requirements in state and town practice call for owner representatives, the OPM and the designer to serve. The team said it will follow the legal prequalification process and expects to present shortlisted, prequalified vendors before bids are accepted.

Members flagged lead times for HVAC equipment as a critical schedule driver. Long and Brian Dakin of Left Field emphasized that equipment must be ordered once a contractor is selected so long vendor lead times do not delay 2026 construction.

The committee also revisited rooftop solar readiness. Matt Rice, a principal at SMMA who reviewed historical design documents, told the group the high school was not originally engineered to carry photovoltaic (PV) panels 25 years ago, but that area-by-area structural reviews could identify places that can support panels without structural work. Project staff recommended making the building “conduit ready” now — stubbing conduit through the roof and capping it so a later solar installation can connect without cutting into a new membrane. Jean Raymond and committee members said conduit stubs would be relatively low-cost and would avoid future damage to a new roof if the light department or another party installs PV later.

Staff established next steps: the team will complete design and prequalification work in coming weeks, publish bid documents by October, hold a pre-bid walkthrough for bidders, and return to the subcommittee and to the school committee/select board for contract award approval. Committee members also scheduled on-site roof walk-throughs with the project team and roofing manufacturers to review edge flashings, fascia and HVAC curb details before finalizing specifications.

Discussion-only items, staff directions and formal actions were distinct in the meeting. The subcommittee reviewed options and asked staff to prepare bid documents; staff directed the project team to pursue prequalification steps and to include conduit stubs for future solar readiness. The only formal action referenced in the discussion was a prior July 2 school committee vote authorizing two schematic design plans (recover and restoration). No new contract awards or binding votes were taken at the July 24 meeting.

The project team and the subcommittee agreed to meet again after the schools reopen to finalize prequalification and vendor-selection schedules and to confirm the mid-November award target.

Ending: The design team said its focus for the next month is producing the 60% estimate and prequalification materials; the subcommittee requested a formal prequalification committee membership and a follow-up status report before the bid phase begins.