School Buildings, Facilities, and Maintenance Joint Committee Meeting - Dec 9, 2025

The School Buildings, Facilities, and Maintenance Joint Committee convened for its final meeting of the 2025 calendar year to review administrative updates regarding school building safety, maintenance planning, and climate adaptation. The committee received reports on the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) process for Winter Hill and Brown Schools, a continuity of operations plan for emergencies, and assessments of specific structural concerns. Significant discussion centered on the challenges of snow removal from impact-absorbing playground surfaces and the future design implications for schoolyards. Several items were worked complete to clear the committee box, while ongoing monitoring and reporting items were retained in committee for future action.

Consent Calendar

• Approval of Minutes: The minutes of the October 28th meeting were approved unanimously (ID 25-1708).

Public Comments & Testimony

• Counselor Patone: Stated that while community members raise concerns about specific structural cracks (specifically at the Brown School), the committee and administration have no cause for alarm regarding structural safety, and the administration is actively monitoring the issue.

Discussion Items

MSBA Process for Winter Hill and Brown Schools (Item 2)

• Director Raish: Reported that the school building committee meets monthly and is developing an educational plan with Perkins Eastman consultants. This plan is expected to be presented to the School Committee in February or March.
• Counselor Klingon: Expressed a position that the item should remain in committee due to the potential departure of the current chair and the desire to ensure new colleagues can access ongoing discussion records without the item being marked "complete."
• Outcome: Counselor Klingon and Director Raish agreed to keep the item in committee for resubmission.

Continuity of Operations (COOP) Plan for School Disruptions (Item 3)

• Director Fisher (Office of Emergency Management): Outlined a four-phase plan (assessment, alternative facilities, draft plan, and exercise) to accommodate students if a school is unavailable. The plan includes a potential temporary move to the TAB school building while seeking a permanent solution.
• Counselor Patone: Expressed support for the plan, noting it would alleviate community anxiety regarding emergency scenarios. Asked Director Fisher for his position on the risk of timeline slippage regarding the March 2026 completion goal.
• Director Fisher: Expressed that while a perfect final plan is the goal, an actionable draft plan could be available by late January or February to handle immediate needs, with fine-tuning completed later. Stated a rough draft is currently executable.
• Outcome: Counselor Klingon voted to keep the item in committee to allow for ongoing review and reintroduction.

Improvements to the Coming School (Prescott Street Wing) (Item 4)

• Director Raish: Announced a contract was just signed with Byer Blender Bell to conduct investigative work on the Coming School (Prescott Street Wing) to determine the scope of work and costs to make it operational again. Current improvements are focused on code compliance (ADA, fire, plumbing) to allow usage as a warming center.
• Counselor Klingon: Expressed that this work is a separate foundation exercise and unlikely to complicate or feed directly into the current MSBA feasibility process, though it may be relevant for future disposition decisions.
• Counselor Davis: Asked if this work triggers ADA requirements; Director Raish confirmed current work is code-compliant and does not trigger other systemic upgrades.
• Counselor Patone: Expressed interest in the MSBA Accelerated Repair Program (roof and heat pump) as a potential funding source, noting that Medford High School successfully utilized a hybrid model. Director Raish noted that heat pump installation would require swing space not yet available.
• Outcome: Counselor Klingon voted to "work complete" the item, with the expectation of a future report in May.

Climate Resilience and School Environment Health (Item 5)

• Counselor Saeed: Expressed a position that the July 1st report on school physical environment health (per a 2024 resolution) is critical and should not be forgotten, especially given the context of potential facility failures (heating/AC). Noted the administration had not yet provided the report.
• Liaison Radisi: Explained that the next step involves creating a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the School Department (via SPS Legal) and City Legal to define the standards for "healthiness of the physical environment" under the SEU collective bargaining agreement.
• Counselor Patone: Expressed full support for the resolution and will flag the execution of the MOU as an agenda item for the next School Committee meeting.
• Outcome: Counselor Saeed noted he will submit a new order in February for a report by July 1, 2026. The committee marked the current item as "worked complete."

Menstrual Product Availability (Item 6)

• Representative Barry: Provided an update from Director Liz Cortiello stating that refilling schedules vary (28 days at Winter Hill, 56 days at East Somerville) based on a pilot program. Confirmed that all dispensers are currently operational and that a dispenser was installed in the gender-neutral bathroom at Argenziano.
• Counselor Patone: Expressed satisfaction with the update and the resolution of the gender-neutral bathroom issue.
• Outcome: The committee marked the item as "worked complete."

Brown School Foundation Monitoring (Item 7)

• Director Henry: Confirmed a visible "sawtooth" crack in the Brown School foundation exists and has been monitored quarterly for over two years. The prevailing theory is that a large tree's roots are causing stress. The plan is to patch the crack to prevent water intrusion and pests, not because of structural instability.
• Counselor Davis: Expressed relief that the crack does not pose an imminent structural threat and asked about the timeline of the crack's origin.
• Director Henry: Stated the first report on the crack dates to 2012, though it had existed for a long time prior. Confirmed structural engineers have raised no alarms.
• Counselor Said: Expressed concern about the lack of public information regarding the crack and asked for reports to be shared with the School Committee. Proposed a position that the city should consider making this information more public (e.g., via a website or signage) to prevent parent anxiety.
• Counselor Davis: Seconded the position that public transparency is essential and noted that a new communications director is working on citywide improvements to website accessibility.
• Outcome: Councilor Davis requested the sharing of quarterly reports. The committee agreed to "work complete" the current item, with the understanding that future updates regarding the mitigation plan and public communication will be addressed. (Note: The transcript contains a discrepancy where Director Henry states the item is work complete at the end of Item 7 discussion, but later Councilor Klingon asks for confirmation on the disposition of Item 7 before Item 9 is voted on, and the final adjournment vote counts 749, implying Item 9 was left open. Based on the flow, Item 7 was marked complete, but the committee agreed to future reporting on the public communication aspect).

Snow Day Planning and Climate Change (Item 8)

• Counselor Davis: Introduced the item to discuss how climate change and budgeting rules affect snow day planning.
• Commissioner Lathan (DPW): Explained that snow removal budgets are high due to the need to have vendors on standby regardless of actual snow accumulation. Detailed the process of calling a "snow emergency" (typically >4 inches of snow) which forces school closures to allow for safe vehicle movement and lot clearing.
• Dr. Phillips: Clarified that school parking lots are closed during a snow emergency to ensure they can be plowed safely for reopening, refuting an earlier impression that the link between emergency and closure was severed.
• Conclusion: The committee discussed the complexities of budgeting and weather forecasting but noted that the current protocol (emergency call = school closure) remains in place for safety.
• Outcome: The item was marked "worked complete."

Snow Removal from Playground Surfaces (Item 9)

• Dr. Phillips: Raised the issue that volunteers hand-shoveling playgrounds with crumb rubber surfaces causes damage, as metal shovels are prohibited. Parents are requesting the use of powered snow brushes.
• Commissioner Lathan: Stated a position that powered snow brushes are designed for synthetic turf with infill, not poured-in-place rubber playground surfaces, and using them would cause irreversible damage. Confirmed that no surface exists that allows for snow removal without voiding warranties or damaging materials.
• Counselor Patone: Emphasized a position that future schoolyard designs (specifically at the Kennedy School) must prioritize year-round accessibility and that the current surfaces are effectively rendering schoolyards unusable for days at a time.
• Counselor Klingon: Proposed a "crazy idea" of installing radiant heat under schoolyards to melt snow, noting it would be easier to implement during new construction than retrofitting.
• Outcome: The committee agreed to pursue further discussion in 2026 regarding design standards and the creation of a report identifying impacted schools and potential design solutions. The item was left in committee.

Key Outcomes

• Approvals: Minutes for October 28th approved unanimously.
• Decisions:
  • Item 2 (MSBA Updates) kept in committee.
  • Item 3 (COOP Plan) kept in committee.
  • Item 4 (Coming School Improvements) worked complete; report expected May 2026.
  • Item 5 (Climate Health Report) worked complete; new order to be submitted for July 2026 deadline.
  • Item 6 (Menstrual Products) worked complete.
  • Item 7 (Brown School Foundation) worked complete; ongoing communication regarding public transparency noted.
  • Item 8 (Snow Day Planning) worked complete.
  • Item 9 (Playground Snow Removal) left in committee; committee to task staff with a report and future design discussion in 2026.
• Directives: The committee directed Director Fisher to continue the COOP timeline; the School Committee to pursue the MOU for climate health standards; and the administration to prepare for a report on playground design feasibility in the new year.

Note: The transcript records the final adjournment vote as 749, which appears to be a transcription error for a roll call count (likely 3-0-0 given the participants listed), but the procedural dispositions of the items are clearly stated in the dialogue.