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Superintendent says Wildwood school project is advancing; MSBA submission set for April 24 and town vote in September
Summary
Superintendent Dr. Lund told the School Committee on Jan. 15 that the Wildwood elementary-school replacement project has advanced into detailed preliminary design and that the district will submit a major package to the MSBA by April 24, 2025.
Superintendent Dr. Lund told the School Committee on Jan. 15 that the Wildwood school building project has moved into detailed preliminary design and that the design team Doran Whittier is translating stakeholder input into floor plans, exterior renderings and finish palettes.
Dr. Lund said three working subgroups are active — public relations, landscaping and sustainability — and that the project team is engaging school principals and staff to define classroom adjacencies, program locations and finishes. He said the district maintains a project website with meeting records and design materials and that Doran Whittier has run iterative exercises with building-committee members to capture community preferences.
The superintendent briefed the committee on schedule milestones: the district must submit its next major package to the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) by April 24, 2025; the Select Board set a Special Town Meeting date of Sept. 13, 2025, with ballot voting on Sept. 16. Dr. Lund said the district expects to finalize scope and budget in the months after the April submission and that an MSBA board meeting likely in June will establish the official reimbursement rate and final scope prior to the September town vote.
Committee members discussed aesthetic goals (natural light, natural materials, masonry exterior) and balancing an elementary-building character with town design traditions. A committee member noted the need to be mindful of state ethics rules for elected officials engaging publicly about the project; Dr. Lund confirmed the district has reached out to state agencies for guidance on elected-official outreach and said staff will continue coordinated outreach as the district moves toward mobilizing community support.
Dr. Lund said the selection of a construction manager is imminent and that cost estimating will intensify after the manager is on board. He characterized the project as still in preliminary design but “starting to take shape,” with design decisions now informing price estimates.
No formal votes on the Wildwood project were held at the meeting; the superintendent asked committee members to help with outreach ahead of the April and September milestones.
