Salem High School building committee outlines design schedule, working groups and temporary-building timing

The Salem High School Building Committee on May 12 reviewed the project's milestone schedule and next steps for design development, set a June 18 meeting and organized multiple working groups to carry detailed planning through the summer.

The Chair opened the meeting and said the April 27 minutes were not available, then thanked members for their work on a recent ballot vote, calling it "a true team effort." The Chair then turned the meeting over to Margaret to present the schedule.

Margaret said the project follows the Massachusetts School Building Authority's (MSBA) modules and estimated the overall program typically runs about five years from study through post-occupancy activity. "This is really to sort of show the overall picture of the project," she said, and noted the team anticipates bidding the project at the end of 2027 with construction to follow and a period after occupancy for MSBA audits and post-construction work.

Work between now and the next submission will focus on design development and more detailed cost estimating, Margaret said. She said the owner's project manager commonly remains on-site for about a year after completion to support MSBA audits and closeout tasks.

Brooke described the working groups that will handle distinct design threads: branding and visioning (including students, parents and alumni); a sustainability/performance team looking at geothermal and energy measures; technology and systems (wireless, EV chargers, lighting, plumbing); and a security review conducted outside the public forum. "Branding is environmental branding which is what takes place in the building," Brooke said, and noted a branding lead has been mobilized for the project.

Devita, representing a design partner, said her team will help evaluate options, engage vendors and provide constructibility and scheduling analysis through the design-development set. "From now until the DD set is issued, we will be helping Brooke and her team evaluate ideas, options, details," Devita said, adding the team will also fine-tune temporary-classroom requirements for programs such as automotive technology.

On temporary facilities, committee members asked about the Solano program. Staff said Solano is expected to stop being used in December 2027 when occupants move into a new temporary building that will be available after the Christmas break, a sequencing intended to prevent program interruption.

The committee also discussed coordination with MassDOT and the Highland-corridor traffic study, which staff said will be cross-referenced with the project's next traffic counts and site-access work. Members agreed to review and recirculate committee lists to identify missing roles and recruit participants (the committee cited Christy Riley as one suggested addition for athletics/site work).

During the meeting a member asked whether the project should register under Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) version 4 or version 5. Staff recommended registering under LEED v4 to be grandfathered into an established process, saying v5 contains additional documentation and credit challenges that are not yet practical for this project; the MSBA is changing incentive structures toward energy performance, staff said.

A public commenter praised the committee's outreach during the recent campaign, saying the committee's factual information helped counter misinformation. The meeting concluded after a motion to adjourn was moved, seconded and approved.

The committee set a June 18 meeting date and staff said they will circulate dates for July through September and aim to use Zoom for summer meetings to preserve participation. Next steps: finalize working-group membership, complete the DD-level estimates for the MSBA submission timeline, and carry out the next round of traffic counts in coordination with MassDOT.