School committee hears capital updates: McCall roof, gym project overrun and $24.1M free‑cash note
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Summary
District staff briefed the committee on capital articles headed to Fall Town Meeting, including a stand‑alone McCall roof request (phase 1, ~ $2.96M reported), gym reflooring and equipment contingencies (overrun estimated $530k–$670k), high‑school concrete remediation plans, and a select‑board decision to allocate roughly $2M of free cash toward town capital projects after DOR certification.
At the Sept. 12 meeting the Winchester School Committee received an update on capital articles and town finance that district staff described as newly available information ahead of Fall Town Meeting. Committee members were told the select board has certified free cash (reported at "just over $24,100,000") and authorized about $2,000,000 of that free cash toward three town capital projects; school projects appear among the capital omnibus article.
Officials described three school projects within the omnibus capital article and a separate stand‑alone article for McCall Middle School roof work (phase 1). Administrators estimated the McCall request at approximately $2.96 million for major roof replacement and related masonry work. The high school was reported to have successful test results for a surface‑applied corrosion inhibitor for some concrete spalling and a working plan to stabilize reinforced concrete; that remediation could proceed in phases and may be bid in the spring.
The committee also heard that the gym reflooring and reconfiguration project (originally funded at $2.6 million) lost its low bidder, leaving the second bidder higher and creating a funding gap estimated between $530,000 and $670,000. District staff said the second low bidder agreed to hold its price through November and that unit prices for replacement backboards (estimated at $20,000 each) had been requested as part of contingency planning. Committee members discussed ARPA procurement timing and a December contract requirement tied to ARPA eligibility for certain funds.
District staff said they will continue refining estimates, pursue fundraising interest from private groups, and work with capital planning and town leaders on cosponsorship of articles to present the clearest possible funding ask at Town Meeting.
The report closed with questions about long lead items (transformers for Mystic/Lynch) and updates on project timelines; no formal committee votes were taken on the capital items at the Sept. 12 meeting.