Medford — The Medford School Committee on Dec. 15 received a detailed update on the McGlynn and Andrews HVAC and roof electrification project and voted to approve a $2 million capital request for fiscal year 2027 to send to the mayor and city council.

Tom Ellis, a project representative with the construction management team, told the committee the work focuses on replacing major HVAC components and bringing the two schools into compliance with newly triggered ADA requirements. "When the project's done, most of the ADA items that were identified will be completed," Ellis said. He said the city executed a Guaranteed Maximum Price contract for $22,800,000 and that the project is roughly 45% bought out and about 45% complete.

Ellis and Ken Lord, Medford’s chief operations officer, said the team has encountered procurement and bidding challenges that required rebidding some scopes, including a liquid-applied roof alternate that came in substantially higher than estimated. Ellis said the project has protected contingency allowances within the GMP and that the team expects to return unused allowances to the city.

The presenters also outlined expected incentives and funding: about $2.2 million in anticipated Mass Save incentives plus ARPA funds already included in the budget, yielding roughly $3.8 million in total incentives anticipated to support the project.

Committee members raised timing, noise disruption and electricity-capacity questions during a lengthy question-and-answer period. On the timeline for rooftop solar tied to the project, an engineer said the installation could start in the fall of next year but cautioned that National Grid interconnection timing can be unpredictable. Ellis said the school-side electrical capacity did not require upgrades to complete the currently scoped electrification work.

The project team said their goal is to have most new HVAC components operational by late spring 2026, with commissioning and troubleshooting to follow. Members asked staff to coordinate closely with principals to limit repeated classroom disruptions from construction noise.

Capital request, MSBA news

Vice Chair Member M. Graham and Ken Lord presented the committee’s recommended FY27 capital plan, a prioritized package informed by a district facilities condition assessment that identified roughly $85 million in work needed across Medford Public Schools over the next five years.

Graham said the FY27 ask — about $2 million — is intended to fund near-term priorities such as fire-alarm assessments, intercom upgrades, a network refresh, turf and drainage repairs, ADA plaza work and smaller repairs across multiple buildings. "While we have $85,000,000 worth of work to do in Medford Public Schools in the next 5 years, this helps us prioritize what goes on our capital plan," Graham said.

The committee was also told that the Massachusetts School Building Authority accepted statements of interest for three elementary schools (Roberts, Mississutuck and Brooks), which makes those projects eligible for MSBA participation in feasibility and future construction phases at an estimated reimbursement rate of roughly 52 percent.

Vote and next steps

Member Russo moved to approve the capital request as outlined and to send the final memo to the mayor and city council; after discussion the committee approved the motion in a roll call vote, six in favor, one abstention (the mayor). The committee asked that the $2 million be available so work can begin on or before July 1, 2026 (the start of FY27).

The presentation and vote leave the district’s capital team with next steps to finalize the memo to the mayor and coordinate funding sources (free cash, grants and other available funds) while advancing procurement and site coordination for the ongoing HVAC work.

Votes at a glance

- Suspend rules to take superintendent report out of order: passed (voice).
- Revert to regular order of business: passed (voice).
- Consent agenda (bills/payrolls, capital purchases, donations, grants, field trips, minutes): approved (voice).
- Approve FY27 capital request and send memo to mayor/council: passed, roll call 6–0–1 (one abstention).

The committee set the next regular meeting for Jan. 5, 2026; the high-school building committee will meet virtually on Jan. 22, 2026.