Wachusett committee unveils interactive facilities tracker, approves updated 10‑year capital plan

The Wachusett Regional School District Committee on Sept. 8 unveiled a new interactive facilities tracker intended to streamline district project planning and approved an updated 10‑year capital improvement plan to present to member towns.

School leaders said the WRSD Facilities Tracker replaces a static spreadsheet with dashboards that show capital projects, the age of building systems (heating, roofs, windows), and operating costs. "This is our new WRSD Facilities Tracker," Dr. Riley said while walking committee members through the tool, which staff say will help time projects for state funding programs and better inform town voters.

Why it matters: The tracker is meant to give town officials and the public a clearer, up‑to‑date view of district needs and to reduce surprises when projects come to town meeting. Dr. Riley said the tool includes notes on completed and ongoing work and that staff will add cost‑adjustment guidance (they suggested adding roughly 7–10% to earlier quotes to allow for inflation between estimate and implementation).

What the committee heard: Staff categorized projects as "completed," "approved," "proposed," and "future." Examples noted during the presentation included security camera installations, an oil‑line replacement at Davis Hill, roof replacements at Mount View and Central Tree, drainage and foundation remediation at Glenwood, and a district stair lift to improve accessibility at central office. Dr. Riley emphasized safety investments such as bidirectional amplifiers (BDAs) to improve first‑responder radio coverage inside buildings; he said BDAs average about "$90,000" per building and can be higher for larger footprints.

Town planning and funding: Presenters repeatedly urged closer coordination with member towns, noting that some towns run separate capital planning processes and that projects often need town meeting approval and additional appropriations when costs increase. The superintendent said staff will send formal letters to town officials outlining recommended and previously presented projects and will offer to present to town capital committees.

What the committee decided: After discussion, the committee voted to accept the updated 10‑year capital improvement plan and recommended the listed capital projects be presented to member towns for consideration. The committee also discussed whether and how much of the facilities tracker should be public; members favored making it available while withholding sensitive technical specifications for security reasons.

Next steps: Staff will continue refining the tracker, add narrative notes for each project, and present class‑size and staffing adjustments in October. Towns will receive the district's recommended projects ahead of their respective capital planning and town‑meeting cycles.