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Facilities director presents multi‑million estimate for Westford Academy roof, HVAC and controls upgrade
Summary
At the Sept. 22 Westford School Committee meeting, Director of Facilities Jeff Bunyan outlined completed capital projects, near‑term requests and a present‑day estimate for a full roof, HVAC and building‑management replacement at Westford Academy; committee discussion focused on funding paths, timing and operational risk.
Jeff Bunyan, director of facilities for town and schools, told the Westford School Committee on Monday, Sept. 22, that a full replacement of Westford Academy’s roof, rooftop HVAC units and building management system (BMS) is a district priority and carries a large present‑day cost estimate.
Bunyan said the estimate he presented, based on a 2022 SMMA/Peter Bradley cost study escalated to current dollars, is $24,000,006.94 (as shown in the SMMA excerpt he read to the committee). “This is a very large scary number,” Bunyan said, noting that the district is exploring packaging the work into a larger performance contract and pursuing state and grant reimbursement options where possible.
The facilities director front‑loaded a progress report on summer and near‑term capital work before the academy discussion. Completed or in‑process projects he listed included: an Abbott wastewater plant exterior renovation (project budget ~$50,000); replacement of an oil‑fired heating system at the Abbott plant with an electric heat pump (total cost about $67,305; net cost after incentives and use of net‑metering credits $40,460, per Bunyan); a planned Navnasset library rooftop HVAC replacement (project budget listed $180,000; lead time for the rooftop unit was reported as roughly 36 weeks); a Blanchard generator replacement (winning bid $51,343 plus an optional automatic transfer switch at $4,007.28); Westford Academy field lighting installed with community preservation funds (budget $350,000; winning bid $343,002.22); and the Stony Brook track and athletic courts (original community preservation authorization $2.2 million; current contract and approved change orders reported as approximately $2.0 million to date).
On the Westford Academy proposal, Bunyan said the district’s Siemens BMS has been unsupported by its vendor since 2021 and Johnson Controls recently told the district it would no longer supply repair proposals or some replacement parts for century‑old controllers. He described an operational workaround used this summer — running a hose to cool a rooftop condenser coil — as “not a sustainable practice,” and said the district moved the academy project forward from a fiscal‑year‑2028 target because failures are increasing.
Bunyan listed financing and program options the district is exploring: applying for MSBA (Massachusetts School Building Authority) accelerated repair reimbursement (he cited the Blanchard project reimbursements as precedent), packaging the work into a town‑wide energy performance contract with Ameresco (which might allow inclusion of decarbonization measures such as heat pumps and make the project solar‑ready), and chasing short‑window grants that could pay a large share of construction costs. He said a statement of interest to MSBA would be submitted in April if the district can assemble sufficient engineering and cost detail.
Committee members pressed for supporting data that would show the cost of continued repairs and service calls under the current system. One committee member asked Bunyan to gather recent vendor invoices for Siemens and Johnson Controls to quantify emergency service costs. Bunyan said he could compile that information and that newer equipment would also improve energy efficiency, which would reduce operating costs over time.
Bunyan and committee members discussed schedule and phasing. He said a project of the academy’s size would likely be phased over multiple years rather than done in one summer and that some elements (roof replacement, HVAC and BMS work) should be coordinated to avoid multiple mobilizations. He also emphasized the value of making the roof “solar ready” during a roof replacement to maximize future renewable opportunities.
Committee discussion also touched on other, smaller capital requests in the district capital database: replacement fire alarm control panels at Miller and Navnasset elementaries (Miller estimated $28,000; Navnasset $37,000 in the database), a Chevy 2500 plow truck replacement with utility body and plow, and a tractor replacement to maintain grounds and winter operations.
Bunyan concluded by asking for additional time to pursue Ameresco and grant options and to firm up engineering and cost estimates. “If everything goes to plan,” he said, “we should know more in the next couple of weeks about whether Ameresco could be involved and what the scope might look like.”
