School committee approves $425,000 for design work on Grafton Middle School roof after operations update highlights districtwide repairs

The Grafton School Committee voted unanimously Sept. 30 to support a town meeting article transferring $425,000 from free cash to pay for design services to replace the roof at Grafton Middle School.

The vote followed a longer operations update from district operations staff Frank and Shauna, who told the committee the district oversees custodial services, maintenance, transportation, food services and capital projects and that crews completed a broad slate of summer work. Frank said the Garland report commissioned by the town shows active leaks at all six school buildings and described the middle school roof as the most compromised.

"We have active leaks in all six of our school buildings," Frank said during the presentation, and he described the middle school roofing system as made up of "a series of four different roof materials" with a foam layer that contractors told staff is an uncommon and problematic choice for a New England commercial roof. He said the original roof below those layered patches dates to roughly 62 years ago and that repeated patching had exhausted stopgap options.

Committee members pressed for detail on the $425,000 request, asking whether it was a flat fee or a percentage of anticipated project cost. Staff explained the requested amount covers plans and design services, including construction administration and weekly site checks during work. Frank said the district expected design fees to fall in a typical range (roughly 7–7.5 percent of the projected total construction cost) and that the $425,000 figure is a funding request for those services to allow the project to be bid; he and staff noted actual construction bids will determine final costs.

During the discussion Superintendent Dr. James Cummings and operations staff said other capital work is already underway or planned at North Street and Millbury Street, including new serving lines, walk‑in refrigeration replacements, replacement of worn foyer doors and lighting upgrades. Staff also described a glycol leak at the high school earlier in the year that required system flushing and refilling and said the cleanup and repairs cost "more than anticipated" (exact total not specified in the presentation). Other issues noted included a damaged pump for athletic field sprinklers that has been replaced, new LED lighting in maintenance spaces, new serving configuration at North Grafton to speed cafeteria traffic, replacement HVAC bids for a library unit, and a new wireless camera installation in the high school student parking lot.

Frank said the district is pursuing design money for the middle school at this fall town meeting to get plans ready and to engage a design professional to oversee the work. He also noted the district has been in touch with DCAM and the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) as it considers timing and potential reimbursement opportunities; staff said MSBA timing might affect whether the committee pursues full replacement immediately or stages work pending a possible MSBA contribution.

A motion to approve Article 11 — "to transfer an appropriate sum of money from free cash in the amount of $425,000 for the purpose of funding designer services for the replacement of the roof of Grafton Middle School" — was made, seconded and carried with the chair calling the vote unanimous. The transcript does not record individual roll call votes.

Committee members said they want to proceed with design and more detailed cost estimates so the town and committee can evaluate construction costs, possible MSBA participation and scheduling for roof replacement projects across the district.

The operations update and the roof request occupied a substantial portion of the Sept. 30 meeting; staff signaled additional capital requests (lighting for the stadium, portico repairs at Millbury Street, bathroom stall replacements at North Street) are planned in the coming fiscal‑year capital cycle.