The Medford Public Schools strategic and capital planning subcommittee on Dec. 8 reviewed progress on district facility projects, sought documentation for recent budget shifts and free-cash allocations, and voted to place a revised capital plan on the next school committee agenda.

Committee members pressed staff for specifics about several ongoing projects. Facilities staff said the districtwide security upgrade with vendor Cybercom (Motorola equipment) is nearly complete at the high school — "they have completed probably 95% of the work at the high school," staff said — with device installation and user training continuing and full completion expected in mid-January. Staff said elementary buildings have wiring in place but device installation is still needed; the elementaries were described as roughly "50% done."

On the freight elevator at Medford High School, staff reported the motor has been replaced but additional parts and inspections remain before the elevator can be certified. "Elevators are notoriously hard to get everything done and inspected," staff said.

Members asked whether planned network-room mini-split HVAC work remained in the central HVAC project. Facilities staff said an original $180,000 line for mini-splits may have been shifted into individual school budgets; staff and members said they would verify whether that allocation remains on the city side or was absorbed into the schools' budgets. Noel and other staff said the mayor allocated about $400,000–$500,000 of free cash to some extraordinary maintenance projects, but that final cuts during budget approval left uncertainties that staff will research and document.

The committee discussed bids and costs for athletic-field and playground work. For Brooks field drainage and turf work, staff said vendor estimates place combined repairs nearer $30,000 rather than an earlier figure of $22,500, and that because of total cost the project must be publicly bid. For playgrounds, staff said Copley Wolf estimated about $100,000 for design (site and civil work not included) and staff placed a $150,000 placeholder for feasibility/study work across three playgrounds; committee members noted CPA reviewers may expect separate project submissions for each site.

Members and staff also spoke about larger planning steps. The facilities condition assessment added many line items to the prioritized list, and the Collins Center (the city’s capital planning advisor) requested a specific spreadsheet format to integrate the district’s list with city capital planning. Staff agreed to map the committee’s prioritized list into the Collins Center format and to share materials with Nina in the mayor’s office. Committee members said they would prefer presenting a compact executive-summary view to the full school committee and the mayor — showing which projects are funded, which are in progress, and which are future asks — rather than the full itemized assessment in public materials.

The subcommittee agreed on next steps: staff will verify CPC application status for the Curtis Tufts stairwell historic assessment and confirm remaining bike-rack and repair-station installations; staff will check and document where extraordinary repair funds and mini-split allocations currently reside; and the facilities and finance leads will draft a short memo and spreadsheet to send to the mayor’s office and the Collins Center.

On a procedural motion, a member moved to place the revised capital plan package on the next subcommittee agenda; the motion was seconded and approved in a 3–0 roll call vote (Member Russo: yes; Member Reinfeld: yes; Member Graham: yes). The meeting adjourned after a second motion to adjourn passed by the same 3–0 margin.

The subcommittee’s work is intended to produce a concise FY27 capital ask and a memo to the mayor and council explaining any free-cash request for FY26 that would enable FY27 work; staff will return with documentation on allocations and CPC application status before the item goes to the full school committee.