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Subcommittee reviews district capital plan; flags urgent repairs and $650,000+ Tahanto parking estimate
Summary
Finance Director Aaron Osborne told the Berlin-Boylston Budget, Facilities and Safety Subcommittee on Sept. 3 that mini-split HVAC costs rose to about $500,000 after rebates fell away, that Tahanto has urgent infrastructure needs and that a Tahanto parking expansion is preliminarily estimated at $650,000+ and would require DCR approval and town support.
On Sept. 3, 2025, the Budget, Facilities and Safety Subcommittee of the Berlin-Boylston Regional School Committee reviewed the district capital plan and heard a series of urgent facilities and technology needs presented by Finance Director Aaron Osborne.
Osborne said Berlin Memorial School’s planned mini-split installations rose from about $290,000 to about $500,000 following the loss of rebate incentives and suggested pursuing grant funding to cover the gap. He recommended sequencing solar-panel installation to occur about one year after a roof replacement to avoid roof/solar conflicts and identified a leaking kitchen condenser as a high-priority repair. Other items Osborne listed for Berlin Memorial included a mix of rooftop unit repairs and replacements, tile replacement estimated at approximately $65,000 per year for two years, rusted bathroom partitions, a quoted $13,000 exterior gym door replacement, and staged carpeting replacement over multiple years.
At Boylston Elementary, Osborne said the back section of the parking lot carries a preliminary estimate of about $150,000 (updated numbers pending), noted a Pre-K playground fence quote of $9,740, and recommended routine bathroom fixture replacements and long-term maintenance planning such as evaluating an exterior maintenance tractor or robotic mower.
Osborne reported that Tahanto Regional Middle/High School has received the least recent capital funding and listed several urgent operational needs, including a floor scrubber, original auditorium fluorescent lighting, aging theatrical lighting, and an obsolete projector. He said Tahanto’s swipe-card access system needs evaluation and that an inspection is needed for an uneven track lane.
The presentation flagged a preliminary cost estimate of $650,000 or more for a Tahanto parking-lot expansion. Osborne said the expansion would require Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) approval, engineering design and explicit support from both the towns of Berlin and Boylston. Committee members raised concerns about permit lifespan, town awareness, the financial-planning timeline and safety issues tied to current insufficient parking.
The subcommittee also discussed districtwide technology and security needs. Osborne described the district phone system as analog and outdated and recommended evaluating a districtwide IP "hub-and-spoke" phone model to improve emergency efficiency. He said Tahanto had not received Chromebook replacements in two years and marked device replacement as a high priority.
The subcommittee did not take formal votes on capital spending at the meeting; members directed staff to continue refining cost estimates and to pursue outreach to town officials to clarify scope and funding implications. Next steps include updated cost numbers, further engineering review for the parking project, and subcommittee-led outreach to the Select Boards and Finance Committees of Berlin and Boylston.
