Northborough subcommittee finalizes outreach materials and survey for Peasley Elementary forum

The Peasley Building Subcommittee of the Town of Northborough spent its April 2 meeting finalizing outreach materials for an upcoming Peasley Elementary community forum, agreeing on concise copy, photo guidance and a schedule to circulate a public survey.

Members reviewed draft Facebook and Instagram graphics, debated photo selection and image credits, and settled on simplified headline language intended to increase engagement. The group agreed on short copy that can be tailored for event handouts and social posts, and on a working tagline — "Planning has started. Your voice matters." — for display materials and easel boards.

The subcommittee recommended three short, featured questions on the graphics (presented as speech‑bubble elements) to prompt public interest: whether residents prefer a neighborhood or consolidated school, anticipated cost concerns, and broad program priorities. Members suggested pairing current photos of constrained school spaces with a rendering of a potential future gymnasium so residents both see the facility needs and can visualize a proposed outcome. They also asked designers to remove a dotted red diagram line from one rendering and to add a small image credit or project attribution on borrowed photos.

The group discussed distribution channels—posting tailored materials to the senior center, town bulletin locations and focus groups—and agreed that QR codes on easel boards at events would link to the subcommittee's public survey. Greg (subcommittee member) said the draft survey is in SurveyMonkey and will be circulated to members for comment; the subcommittee asked for feedback by the following Monday so the QR link can point to the finalized form. Members targeted posting materials the week of April 6, with a goal of a Monday sign‑off and posting once edits are complete.

The meeting also revisited timeline language for the project itself. Committee members asked that the flyer clearly explain that the chosen plan will be compiled and submitted as a Preliminary Service Request to the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) in June and noted that the Peasley project appears on the town's capital planning record earlier than originally stated—Kelly said town records show entries as far back as 2015 rather than 2020. The subcommittee asked for the flyer wording to reflect that history in plain language so readers understand the milestone and the implication of a PSR to the MSBA.

Next steps: Mary will send a suggested Peasley photo to the design lead (Dan Lee) for placement; Greg will share the SurveyMonkey draft with editing rights; designers will replace the rendering that included the dotted line and add a brief credit for third‑party images; and members will aim to approve final files so posts and handouts can go live the week of April 6. The subcommittee also agreed to pursue a five‑ to ten‑minute slot at an upcoming town meeting to highlight the survey and allow attendees to scan the QR code live.

The meeting adjourned at 8:25 a.m.