School feasibility study overview presented to town boards

Town board representatives last week got their first look at a high-level view of the middle school and high school feasibility study, which explores options to develop a master plan for the high school and middle school campus to address outdated systems and to prepare for projected enrollment increases.

The School Committee is considering several options that would entail partial renovation or complete rebuilding of the buildings with costs ranging from $326 million to $441 million.

The Oct. 23 presentation to town boards and officials was the first of two held by the School Committee and project manager Jenni Katajamaki, of Lavallee Brensinger. Attendees included representatives from the Select Board, Permanent Building Committee, Planning Board and the Council on Aging, among others. The second session, intended for the general public, is scheduled for tomorrow night at 6 p.m.

Lavallee Brensinger’s feasibility study process incorporated an educational visioning group made up of the greater school community, to consider a facility condition assessment, enrollment projections and academic space needs.

Katajamaki said the baseline cost of renovating and modernizing the buildings – which has numerous systems at the end of their life and an incomplete fire suppression system at the middle school – is currently projected at about $172 million.

She cautioned that any cost estimates are construction cost assumptions, with adjustments to be made depending on the estimated completion date. All costs include academic buildings only.

“The cost of just maintaining these buildings is a lot, and looking forward to the next 10 to 15 years, there are a lot of systems and components that need to be replaced if you’re going to stay in these buildings,” Katajamaki said. She noted, in response to a question from Permanent Building Committee Chair Jim Polando, the cost assumptions for renovations assume the world will incorporate replacements compliant with Weston’s energy-code requirements.

All costs, Newberg noted, are only relative to each other because the study only looked at concepts, not designs.

“The magnitude of costs … as compared to each other, it’s accurate,” he said.

For enrollment, Katajamaki said the two projection models estimated Weston’s middle and high school enrollment could increase between 19% and 42% by 2034, if all 40B and 3A building developments are completed.

The School Committee received the final feasibility study over the summer, when it selected four preferred options, with two of those having alternate choices. Option 2 is to construct a new high school and renovate the middle school; Option 5 is to construct two new schools; Option 6A/B is to create a connected two-to-three-story building, and Option 7A/B would be a reduced two-to-three-story building, which would also qualify for Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) funding. Cost estimates range from $326 million to $441 million.

The decision to eliminate certain options from consideration, including the renovation baseline, was based on members’ perception of return on investment. Key factors for each option included consideration of whether the concept meets the district’s educational needs, enrollment growth, sustainability goals, parking needs and if temporary facilities would be required during construction, among other criteria.

The MSBA path

The School Committee will not bring any funding requests to the spring Town Meeting because it plans to consider all options and is waiting for a determination from the state about the opportunity to receive MSBA funding for a portion of the project.

If the MSBA selects Weston for its building program, the town will have to follow the state’s timeline to remain eligible for funding. The MSBA is expected to announce in December whether Weston is eligible to apply for funding in 2026. In the meantime, Newberg said the town will keep applying for the MSBA program while the self-funded options are considered.

“At some point, and this is talking in, perhaps, years, there needs to be a decision,” Newberg said. “I think everyone on the School Committee certainly would be thrilled if we got invited into the program anytime soon.”

Feedback and next steps

Newberg and Li are expected to go on a listening tour across town boards over the winter to collect as much feedback as possible.

They emphasized no decisions have been made yet, and no funding will be asked of residents in the spring.

“Sometime in the spring, we will make a decision on how to proceed, and that decision could be, ‘Let’s wait a year until the MSBA gets to consider our application again,’” Newberg said. “Don’t expect anything to happen in the next six months or so, unless we get invited into the MSBA in December.”

The feasibility study and supporting documents can be found at westonschools.org/school-committee/hs-ms-feasibility-study/. Additionally, recordings of the public information sessions are available at westonmedia.org.