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Council refers new high school athletic center defects to facilities subcommittee; HVAC follow-ups discussed
Summary
The Lowell City Council this week referred a motion about widespread defects at the new high school athletic center to a future facilities subcommittee after school faculty and council members reported multiple construction problems.
The Lowell City Council this week referred a motion about widespread defects at the new high school athletic center to a future facilities subcommittee after school faculty and council members reported multiple construction problems.
School faculty told the council that, about 18 months after opening, the athletic center has experienced broken elevators, leaky ceilings, falling benches, unpainted drywall, scratched floors and broken doorknobs. Council members and faculty expressed frustration that those problems had not been surfaced earlier through regular school building committee meetings. Members of the construction management team attended the meeting and outlined steps they said they would take going forward.
The referral moves the matter to the council’s facilities subcommittee for additional review and follow-up before the full council takes a final action. The motion was sent to a future facilities subcommittee for further review, according to the meeting record.
School facilities were again on the agenda in two motions aimed at improving heating, ventilation and air conditioning at Pawtucket Memorial. Those items were presented as follow-ups to a motion from the summer; city staff reported that the HVAC issues are being worked on but the meeting record does not show a final vote or completed remedy at this session.
Councilors also requested an update on the Smith Baker Center. City staff reported there is an interested party looking into a potential conversion of the Smith Baker Center into a museum and said more details would be forthcoming.
No specific vote tallies, mover/second names or ordinance numbers for these items were recorded in the transcript provided. The meeting was cablecast live on Comcast channel 6 in Lowell and streamed by LTC.
The council’s referral of the athletic-center motion and the ongoing HVAC follow-ups indicate the issues will receive additional staff review and subcommittee oversight before any final council action is recorded.
