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Architect firm reviews district capital improvement plan, outlines priorities through 2040
Summary
The district's architectural firm presented a progress update on the capital improvement plan, describing how projects were prioritized, how percent-complete is calculated, funding sources under consideration and why roofs and boilers remain top priorities.
The Middlesex Borough School District’s architectural firm of record updated the board on the district’s capital improvement plan and recent construction work, saying the plan was created in 2019 and is tracked through 2040.
The firm representative said the district is into its fifth construction season under the plan and described how project completion percentages are calculated. “It’s strictly based off of the quantity of projects that we included in the capital improvement plan,” Caitlin Adonis said, explaining that if a category contained four projects and one was completed, that category would be reported as 25 percent complete.
The presentation grouped projects by site work (parking lots, playgrounds, sidewalks, fencing), building envelope (windows, roofs, exterior masonry), interior finishes (classrooms, corridors, ceilings, flooring), mechanical (HVAC and unit ventilators), electrical (service upgrades and fire alarm systems) and plumbing (student and faculty restrooms). The presenters said some schools have seen recent roof and window work and a districtwide fire alarm upgrade was recently completed or is in punch-list status at multiple buildings.
Architect representatives gave school-level snapshots: Hazelwood’s listed items include interior work and HVAC planned for the summer; Parker has site and parking work planned for a future season and unit-ventilator replacements tied to a lab grant; another elementary building’s site work and gym roof were noted as recently completed or scheduled. At the high school, the presenters said windows were installed in 2016, gym roofing has been addressed, and corridor abatement and ceiling replacement work is underway.
On funding, the presenters listed routine local options the district has used or may use: capital reserve, maintenance funds, referendums and targeted state grants. Adonis described a state grant opportunity she called a “broad grant,” saying it is available to regular operating districts for qualified projects such as HVAC and that the program can cover up to 34 percent of an eligible project; she said bids for recently submitted projects came in below the estimate, which would allow the district to capture full grant funding for those projects.
The architects also explained hazardous-material abatement. “Abatement is the removal of the hazardous material in a safe manner,” an architect representative said, describing different procedures for non-friable and friable asbestos and noting the requirement to abate when walls are opened.
The presenters repeatedly framed roofs and heating systems as the highest priorities for keeping buildings operational: if a building lacks heat or has an uncontained roof leak, it can force closures. A firm representative said districts typically face many competing needs with limited funds and urged the board to use the plan to prioritize projects and budget across a 20-year horizon.
No formal board action or vote was recorded during the presentation. Board members asked clarifying questions about the percentage calculations, the meaning of abatement and timing of planned summer work.
