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School committee ranks FY27 capital priorities; holds carriage‑house decision for further review
Summary
The School Committee on June 12 approved a prioritized list of FY27 capital requests for submission to town capital planners, placing Lincoln chiller replacement first, packaging immediate safety/flat‑work repairs next, and holding the Ambrose carriage‑house preservation vs demolition question open for additional discussion.
The Winchester School Committee voted June 12 to transmit a prioritized list of FY27 capital requests to the town manager’s office while pausing a final decision on the Ambrose carriage house, a deteriorating structure adjacent to Ambrose Elementary.
Approved priorities: By unanimous vote the committee approved this ranking for FY27 submission: 1) Lincoln Elementary chiller replacement and core HVAC work; 2) Ambrose carriage‑house (placeholder with funding options to be clarified); 3) a package of smaller safety and maintenance projects (including an Ambrose pedestrian walkway upgrade and investigation of granite capstone and knee‑wall deterioration at Winchester High School); 4) a town‑wide fiber infrastructure audit; and 5) Lincoln flatwork (walkways/entrance and playground surfacing). Committee members asked district and town staff to coordinate on phasing and design details.
Carriage‑house holding action: Committee members debated whether to fund envelope preservation (design now; costly renovation later) or to abate and demolish the carriage house. School staff and facilities leaders described ongoing deterioration and safety hazards. Several committee members said they were uncomfortable authorizing demolition without confirming whether the Sanborn House conservancy or the town’s historic-preservation stakeholders could pursue preservation or reuse. The committee therefore agreed to keep the carriage‑house item on the FY27 submission as a placeholder, to be clarified with town planning, historic‑preservation stakeholders and capital planning before final capital-authorization votes.
Other items discussed: Lincoln’s flatwork project could be reduced by removing the more elaborate outdoor‑classroom elements; the working estimate for a scaled project is about $1.6 million. Facilities staff recommended an engineering study for failing exterior granite capstones and small retaining walls at Winchester High, estimated as a modest FY27 entry to scope repairs. The committee also supported a district request to audit town fiber infrastructure to plan future network investments.
Why this matters: The committee’s priorities feed into the town capital planning and the Community Preservation Act (CPA) processes. Town staff said early notice helps coordinate CPA applications (for example, a historic‑preservation application to CPA would need to be prepared quickly). Committee members asked staff to gather outstanding details about property ownership, historic status and stakeholder interest before the carriage house is removed from consideration or moved to a final construction request.
Next steps: Administration will submit the prioritized FY27 list to the town and follow up with additional information and recommended action on the Ambrose carriage house for the committee’s next meeting or the planned facilities workshop and Lynch school tour later this month.
