Westford panel details three enrollment paths, MSBA partnership and sustainability tradeoffs for Robinson School project

Westford Public Schools presented a community recap on June 11 of the Robinson School Building project, laying out three enrollment scenarios, four candidate sites and the process the district will use with the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) to narrow 18 preliminary options to one consensus plan for town approval.

Dr. Chu, who opened the meeting, said the district’s 2023, SMMA-led facilities assessment put Robinson School at the top of the district’s capital-need list and that Westford submitted a statement of interest to the MSBA, which invited the district into its feasibility process. “They have already agreed to reimburse us for 48% of the costs of this project,” Dr. Chu said, noting that MSBA reimbursement applies only to eligible costs and that cost estimates must be escalated from 2023 dollars to current dollars.

Why it matters: The district is balancing educational goals, project cost, sustainability targets and community use. The project team emphasized the goal of selecting a consensus option that the town can support before bringing a capital project to a debt-exclusion vote.

What the team proposed: Architects from Lavalley Brensinger and the owner’s project manager Vertex described the three MSBA-approved enrollment options under study: retain Robinson as a Pre-K–2 school (~470 students); combine Robinson with another building to create a Pre-K–5 of ~705 students; or consolidate three schools into a Pre-K–5 accommodating ~1,065 students. Each enrollment scenario was evaluated on four candidate sites the school building committee identified for further study: Robinson, Abbott, Day, and the Farmer Way (rec fields) parcel. The Day School site, the team said, appears highly constrained by topography and easements but is included to meet MSBA due-diligence requirements.

Programming and education: Lee Sherwood, principal in charge for the architects, described educational visioning work, shadow days and visits to MSBA-built schools to define an educational program. He highlighted the concept of “educational neighborhoods” and flexible shared learning spaces, and said Robinson’s open-concept suites pose acoustic and circulation challenges in current practice. “Play is how a child learns,” Sherwood said while explaining why flexible spaces and integrated special-education services are central to the program.

Sustainability and costs: The team walked through sustainability objectives and MSBA requirements, including stretch-code compliance and a LEED Silver target. They discussed aggressive Energy Use Intensity (EUI) targets being considered (team noted possible EUI targets in the low-20s) and said the committee will evaluate return on investment for incentives from MSBA, Mass Save and federal programs. The architects cautioned that meeting very low EUI targets on a 1960s-era building could require extensive exterior work. Vertex’s Brian Jarvis explained that project cost estimates account for construction timing and escalation; he said MSBA reimburses eligible costs during the work and holds a final 5% until post-construction audit.

Public feedback and schedule: The team said they will run three winnowing moments with public meetings and SBC deliberations: July (narrow 18 options to a smaller set using Westford-specific criteria), October (school committee selects enrollment), and late October (SBC selects site). The design schedule calls for schematic design through August 2027 and a targeted “doors open” / end-of-construction school year of 2031, if selected and funded.

Community input: Attendees used a Mentimeter poll to rank draft evaluation criteria; early responses prioritized educational fit, play/outdoor needs and project cost. Residents raised questions about MSBA funding reliability, inflation and equipment warranties; Vertex and the architects responded that reimbursements apply to eligible costs, escalation is built into cost estimates, and warranties vary by system (windows typically 20–30 years).

Next steps: The team posted full materials and recorded meetings on the Robinson School project website and encouraged continued input through the summer ahead of fall community forums and formal SBC decisions. The next town community forum was listed for Sept. 9, with additional working-group meetings scheduled through July and the fall.