Swampscott Director of Facilities Max Kasper provided the School Committee with a comprehensive update on the district’s current and future capital projects during its latest meeting.
All town capital projects are first reviewed by the Capital Improvement Committee, Finance Committee, town administrator, and Select Board before being brought before Town Meeting for final approval.
Kasper reviewed the eight proposed school projects for fiscal year 2025, which include paving the lower parking lot at the middle school, security upgrades to the middle school, electrification of the Veterans Memorial fieldhouse’s HVAC system, installation of additional bottle-fill stations at the middle and high schools, an upgrade to the high school auditorium’s flooring, interactive white boards in schools, and other general district networking upgrades.
Paving the parking lot had the highest cost estimate, at approximately $200,000. Committee Chair Suzanne Wright inquired about creating additional parking spaces as part of the project. Kasper said that idea is being looked into.
“The driver of this is not to gain spots at the lower lot, it’s just that the condition of the lower lot is so poor that we want to bring it up to an acceptable level,” Kasper said. “We are looking at one location in the lower lot to maybe squeeze out a few additional spots.”
With the town’s new elementary school scheduled to open this fall, the Clarke School will be vacated. Kasper revealed that the district’s plan for the Clarke School moving forward is to renovate it to be used as offices for administrative positions, such as the superintendent, Student Services, and the Business Office. Kasper said it is also supposed to become the new home of the town’s preschool, which is currently at the middle school.
While the initial funding was approved at a previous Town Meeting, the Clarke School renovation is on the town’s FY27 budget.
“We don’t really want to see this building sit,” Kasper said. “We all know that empty buildings are not good… There’s active considerations of maybe trying to get some of the users into the space sooner.”
Committee member Glenn Paster asked if it is possible that the renovation could be delayed beyond FY27. Kasper admitted that it is possible, but said the town is doing what it can to prevent that from occurring.
Kasper later gave an overview of other upcoming projects slated for the middle school. Despite a major renovation for the school scheduled for the FY29 budget, Kasper emphasized that certain components need to be addressed before then.
“We are going to be looking to submit for a window replacement,” Kasper said. “Trying to get another five-plus years of what we have is just not realistic… and also a phone system upgrade project.”
