Subcommittee backs MSBA application for Brophy and Potter Road elementary school roof projects

Framingham School Committee subcommittee members voted to support submitting a statement of interest to the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) for separate roof replacement projects at Brophy Elementary School and Potter Road Elementary School.

The vote will allow district staff to move the application to the full school committee and then to the City Council, both required steps before the MSBA application can be submitted. Lincoln James, staff member, described the item as “the first step” in pursuing MSBA funding for roof projects and said the district will submit the application by the March 21 deadline.

The Somerset of the request is that both roofs meet MSBA minimum qualifications — they are more than 20 years old. Potter Road’s roof was last replaced in 1996 and Brophy’s in February 2002. James said the MSBA Accelerated Repair Program funds replacement, renovation or modernization of facility systems including roofs, windows, boilers and HVAC, and that the program has moved to a two-year cycle after a recent pause.

District staff told the subcommittee that, if accepted by MSBA, the district should be prepared to undertake substantial work, likely involving MSBA site visits and further steps. Staff said the MSBA posts timelines and that site visits often occur between July and September, and that the district might need to prioritize these roofs in its multi-year capital plan. The district noted it lacks swing space; some work could be compressed into summer months or take multiple summers and would likely force reprioritization of other capital projects.

Committee members pressed staff on scheduling and contingency plans. A member asked whether the work would fit into the district’s typical summer construction window; staff replied that projects could be multi-year summer projects and that if the MSBA invitation arrives the district would need to shift other projects accordingly. Staff also said that, if the MSBA application is not accepted, the district already has funding allocated through the fiscal year 2024 capital project recommendation and would still be able to proceed with the roof replacements using that capital appropriation.

Votes at a glance — the subcommittee took three formal votes during the meeting: the motion to authorize the administration to submit a statement of interest to the MSBA for two separate roof replacements (Brophy and Potter Road) passed on a roll-call vote with District 2: yes; District 9: yes; District 8: yes. The subcommittee also approved minutes from Sept. 8, 2022 (moved by Mister LeBarge; seconded by Mister Bordon) on a roll-call vote with District 2: yes; District 9: yes; District 8: yes. The meeting was then adjourned on a roll-call vote with District 2: yes; District 9: yes; District 8: yes.

The district will bring the MSBA statement of interest forward to the full school committee at its next meeting, and, if advanced, to the City Council before submission to the MSBA. Staff said they will continue to update the committee on timeline details and on scheduling tradeoffs if MSBA funding is offered.