Financial Planning Committee presses school officials on $8 million Z School roof estimate and funding options

The Town of Northborough Financial Planning Committee questioned school officials on Nov. 18 after a presentation of the FY27 school capital plan that included a roughly $8 million estimate to replace the Z School roof.

Chair John Rapa opened discussion on the roof estimate, calling the figure “a huge amount of money” and saying, “It’s gonna be a tough sell.” School staff described the roof as a mix of flat and pitched sections with failing ballasted stone surfacing and drainage and masonry issues; the flat section was cited as about 42,000 square feet and pitched portions about 16,000 square feet. Presenters said the estimate came from the MSBA‑assigned architect and the owner’s project manager (OPM) after site assessments.

Greg, a school department presenter, said the district sought MSBA accelerated‑repair participation because the program could yield significant reimbursement for eligible roof work and that the project would be made “solar ready” though solar installation itself is not part of the roof contract. Becky, the district’s budget/assessment presenter, clarified that MSBA reimbursement is submitted and processed as costs are incurred and that the district has already seen some reimbursement for a separate Peaslee project.

Committee members pushed back on the size of the $8 million estimate, urged the district to seek market bids or a second estimate outside MSBA, and raised prevailing‑wage concerns. One member noted a private contractor example that suggested a much lower price for a smaller roof and asked why the MSBA estimate appeared so large; another urged an RFP or competitive process to test the market.

School staff responded that MSBA vets architects and that the state‑assigned process saves local staff time, that bidding will ultimately determine price, and that earlier local projects have come in under appropriation. “If we were to go out and do this roof without MSBA’s partnership, it would cost the town more money,” Greg said, adding that MSBA’s procurement and vetting process can produce cost savings despite larger headline estimates.

On financing, town staff said the Select Board supported a free‑cash plan that would apply about $3.8 million to capital and that the capital requests submitted so far total approximately $15.6 million. Presenters suggested that a large project such as the Z School roof would be an appropriate candidate for borrowing with a debt exclusion and noted the tradeoffs between applying limited free cash and seeking debt or a debt‑excluded ballot question.

The Committee asked for tighter cost estimates and said it would like the district’s OPM or designer to present to the Committee and to the public before final recommendations are made. Presenters said they expect more definitive MSBA‑review estimates by December and will share follow‑up materials with the Committee and the school committee.

Next steps: staff said they plan to have final cost estimates and a more detailed funding plan in the coming weeks, present those estimates to the school committee, and return to the Financial Planning Committee to discuss debt options and potential prioritization based on the town’s remaining free cash and borrowing capacity.