School committee approves $51,500 capital request to fence playground and protect new HVAC units

The Stoughton School Committee voted 5–0 on Sept. 23 to forward a capital request to the town’s special fall meeting seeking $51,500 to install protective fencing: to enclose the upper playground area at the Daw School and to fence access to newly installed HVAC units at Daw and Gibbons schools.

Nut graf: District facilities staff said the fencing addresses student safety (the Daw playground previously had no full perimeter fence) and protects costly HVAC equipment from accidental damage and tampering.

Facilities staff described the project as four separate fence installations at Daw (three around HVAC equipment and one enclosing the playground) and three modest fences at Gibbons around the HVAC units. The superintendent said the lone vendor estimate returned totaled $51,500 — below an earlier $64,000 estimate — and that vendors’ schedules mean work timing might depend on lead times and seasonal ground conditions.

Facilities Director Dennis (last name not provided) told the committee the Daw playground is currently the only playground in the district without full fencing and said staff had observed students exiting the play area and entering adjacent woods; fencing would remove that safety risk. He added that unsecured HVAC units can be climbed on and damaged or shut down, so fencing protects both safety and capital investment.

The committee motion to support submission of the article to the fall special town meeting was made by Armando and seconded by Jen Sears; roll call vote was 5–0 in favor.

Ending: The administration will present the item to the town finance committee and, if town meeting approves the article, seek to award the work as soon as vendor schedules and weather permit.