The project’s site-investigation program will begin immediately and run through winter into the new year, subject to weather, consultants told the committee.

Wayne Keithner of Brennan, the project’s survey consultant, described survey procedures: office research to locate deeds and monuments, establishing control traverses, and setting field points in the public right-of-way to tie property corners and adjacent parcels. He said the field survey is currently scheduled to wrap in the first week of the new year but is weather dependent; project plans include drone flights timed after leaves fall.

Consultants said geotechnical work by Haley & Aldrich will include soil borings, test pits and a geophysical survey to map bedrock, calibrated with borings; these data inform earthwork costs and foundation decisions. The team will also deploy sound loggers at property lines to establish baseline noise levels (the project must limit increases at property lines) and perform hydrant flow tests to size fire pumps and sprinkler systems.

Community coordination: the district will mail an abutter notification letter in the coming days and use student volunteers to help distribute notices. Consultants noted stakes and paint seen on the site are control points for survey work and wetlands flagging (not building layout). The team said it will coordinate student filming requests and access for class observations where feasible.

Why it matters: survey and geotechnical data shape feasibility options, cost estimates and constructability assessments; abutter communications and visible field crews (stakes, flags, survey crews) may prompt neighborhood questions, so proactive outreach was planned.

Quotes: Wayne Keithner explained the sequencing: “When we start a survey, one of the very first things we do is some office research. We pull deeds and plans to see what we can expect.” Abutter communications and drone timing were underscored as immediate action items.