School feasibility study presentations set for Oct. 23, 30

Residents next week will have the opportunity to learn more about the Middle School and High School feasibility study through two public presentations as the School Committee prepares to collect community feedback on the project this winter.

The first presentation, geared toward town boards, will be Oct. 23 at 6 p.m. at the Case House with a remote viewing option, while the second presentation, focused on the community, will be held remotely on Oct. 30 at 7 p.m. The link for the remote meeting will be posted on the town website.

All residents are encouraged to attend either session, as Project Manager Jenni Katajamaki, of Lavallee Brensinger Architects, the study designer, will present the study and answer questions. The feasibility study can be found at tinyurl.com/HSMSStudy.

“Nothing is pre-decided, and everything is out for us to receive feedback on,” School Committee member Kenneth Newberg said in an interview. “That’s why we’re spending the next six months or so receiving feedback from as many people as possible to make sure the path forward is a path forward the town really wants to take.”

Newberg, who has been leading the board’s discussions on the study, said at the School Committee’s Oct. 6 meeting that the school’s systems are outdated and repairs are costly. A complete renovation with in-kind replacements is estimated at around $172 million, according to the feasibility study.

Specific system deficiencies include an incomplete fire suppression system at the middle school and a swimming pool at the end of its life, inadequate space for programs, locker rooms failing to meet modern requirements, parking constraints and a room that leaks when it rains, among others.

He urged residents to attend the information sessions and read the feasibility study.

“I think the real value of these meetings is asking questions directly to the designer that weren’t addressed,” Newberg said.

The School Committee received the final feasibility study over the summer, when it selected four preferred options to consider, 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 was based on members’ perception of return on investment.

The process up to this point

Both Weston Middle and High schools were built in the 1960s, renovated in the 1990s, and, according to Lavallee Brensinger’s report, are in “fair-to-good” condition, but “significant upgrades are necessary to extend their service life for another 30 years.” A new science wing was built at the high school in 2012.

A 2019 facilities study revealed the school’s pool and roof needed maintenance or upgrades, which then led to an approximately $80,000 appropriation at the 2021 Annual Town Meeting to fund a feasibility study. That study, however, seemed to get lost in the shuffle of the pandemic, according to Newberg.

At the town’s fall 2023 financial summit, Newberg announced the School Committee would undertake the project of studying the campus.

In 2024, Weston contracted with Lavallee Brensinger Architects to develop a feasibility study to assess the condition of the community’s middle and high schools and evaluate potential options for renovations or replacements.

The study process included calculating enrollment projections; educational visioning with educators, students and parents; an existing conditions assessment; program evaluation and study of energy systems, among others.

“The point of the current study was to get enough information to have a discussion in town because you can’t have the discussion before you know the magnitude of costs and know if you need a new school,” Newberg said. “This is really good information for the town to see.”

Throughout the process, Newberg said the focus has been bringing the community in, as input is essential to creating a project satisfying residents. For example, he said, abutters of the school campus said they would prefer a shorter building spread out over more square feet, rather than a compact, three-story building.

“It has, thus far, been a community effort,” Newberg said.

What’s next?

After the two public presentations, Newberg and fellow School Committee member Jane Li will offer to meet with more than a dozen town boards and community groups to collect feedback, which will then be brought back to the full School Committee.

The School Committee will then deliberate the path forward for the school campus in the spring.

“We’re going to seek town and community input through the winter,” Newberg said. “There are certain decisions that we’re absolutely going to make.”

There is a chance, though, for the process to move in a different direction in December, as the district has submitted a letter of interest to the MSBA grant program.

Superintendent Karen Zaleski said MSBA representatives met with her and several other stakeholders on Oct. 2 to review Weston’s application and ask questions. If approved, the school will have to follow the grant program’s guidelines to receive funding. The district will know if it has been selected in “mid-December,” she said.

“Although they have their own process, they would use some information from our report,” Zaleski said. “That’s a funding opportunity. If we get accepted, it doesn’t mean we get funding right away.”