Committee backs rooftop air-source heat pump; Lincoln site redesign to be refined

Engineers and landscape consultants joined the Feb. 13 Winchester School Committee meeting to present updated designs for site repairs and a replacement heating/cooling system at Lincoln Elementary School. The meeting included two linked conversations: a civil/landscape plan to address eroded and uneven sidewalk, granite stair deterioration and a proposed gathering plaza; and an HVAC proposal to replace a failing split chiller.

Allison O’Neil of Gale Associates summarized the flatwork schematic design, which addresses multiple maintenance problems — uneven concrete panels that create tripping hazards, spalled concrete around railing embeds, failing granite treads at the main entry and an area used informally as an outdoor gathering space. The consultant presented two cost bands: a base package of repairs and targeted replacements at approximately $1.2 million, and a larger option adding a poured-seat wall, plaza pavers and retaining wall for an approximate total near $1.68 million (delta ~$473,000). O’Neil and committee members noted the site’s drainage and unsuitable fill beneath walkways as drivers of recurring settlement and maintenance costs.

Chris Hildreth of NV5 described HVAC options studied in 2023 and at design‑development: a roof-mounted solution and a ground-mounted (at-grade) option near the proposed plaza. Hildreth said both approaches are viable but that the roof option takes advantage of existing steel dunnage and avoids placing large equipment on an active pedestrian gathering area. He said necessary structural reinforcements under the gym roof are relatively modest. A study-level cost comparison the presentation showed the rooftop solution as roughly comparable to or slightly less expensive than the ground option once enclosure/architectural treatment for a visible ground installation is considered.

Committee members repeatedly raised the same trade-offs: preserve front-yard pedestrian space versus locate equipment at grade; preserve historic character versus cost; and whether the outdoor plaza should be a high-end paver/seat‑wall project or a simpler expansion of flat, usable space. Several members emphasized that Lincoln has among the district’s tightest site footprints and that adding horizontal gathering space is valuable for families and some classroom activities but that heavy mechanical equipment at grade would reduce, not increase, usable outdoor space.

After discussion, Mr. Nixon moved and the committee seconded a motion "that the school committee supports an air‑source heat pump located on the existing dunnage at the Lincoln Elementary School with structural support as necessary to replace the failed chiller." The committee voted 5–0 in favor.

Separately, the committee gave the superintendent and project leads consensus to work with Gale Associates and school leadership to pare or re-scope the larger plaza/seat‑wall package to identify lower-cost alternatives that still expand usable horizontal space for students and families. Consultants were asked to return with refined, itemized costs so the committee can consider which elements to pursue in the capital-planning cycle.