MENDON — Superintendent Dr. Maureen Cohen wishes to announce Mendon-Upton Regional School District's proposed capital bond projects, which will be presented for approval at this year's Annual Town Meetings on May 1 and May 2 in Mendon and Upton and at the Town Elections on May 6 and May 13.
These essential projects are designed to address the District’s most urgent needs and ensure that the educational environment continues to meet the growing demands of students and the community. The focus of these projects includes replacing the roof at Nipmuc Regional High School, improving aging school facilities, introducing new security and safety measures, and upgrading fields and grounds for better accessibility and safety.
This comprehensive plan will enhance the District's physical infrastructure and support an enriched learning environment that promotes all students' academic success and well-being.
The Mendon-Upton Regional School District School Committee established a Capital Planning Subcommittee in December 2022 to assess the District's immediate and long-term facility and field requirements. The Subcommittee includes School Committee members, the Director of Finance and Operations, the Director of Facilities, board members from Mendon and Upton, and community members from Mendon Upton Community Project with fields and construction experience.
Habeeb and Associates conducted a comprehensive facilities assessment to determine the scope of facility needs, which they identified as approximately $90 million in short-term, long-term, and critical needs. Over numerous meetings in the fall of 2024, the Capital Planning Subcommittee reduced the initial list of needs identified in the assessment to nearly $30 million.
The District conducted a community survey in 2023 to seek input from school community members regarding the most important facility needs.
The current capital proposals are integral to a broader five-year capital plan and the school District's strategic plan. This timing aligns with the retirement of previous long-term debt incurred for the high school's construction, the middle school's renovation, the construction of two new elementary schools, and the replacement of the roof, boilers, and some windows at the middle school. All debt was retired as of June 30, 2024.
Given that much of the work was completed 25 to 30 years ago, the District now requires additional investment to update, repair, and replace aging infrastructure.
In October 2024, the District was accepted into the Massachusetts School Building Authority's Accelerated Repair Program for the Nipmuc roof. The MSBA program will reimburse 52.26% of the roof project's costs.
Since then, the District has approved funding for roof schematic design, formed a building committee, and is currently working with Habeeb and Associates to develop schematic designs and estimate the cost for all projects except the MBSA Nipmuc roof, which are under MSBA assigned design teams.
"The MSBA’s reimbursement of 52.26% of the roof cost is a significant win for our community," said School Committee Chair Erick Brown. “As a district, we’ve looked for ways to make this investment in infrastructure as fiscally manageable as possible.”
The District plans to hold a public hearing before the April 28 School Committee meeting to allow residents to provide input on the proposed projects.
"In the last 10 years, the Mendon-Upton Regional School District has increasingly needed to allocate from operational budgets in order to keep the buildings and grounds safe and reliable for students," said Superintendent Dr. Cohen. "These repairs and costs are anticipated to accelerate as the systems and grounds deteriorate with age. Our schools are some of our community's most valued infrastructure. Our committees have worked hard to put forth plans to keep them safe, functioning, and responsive to the needs of students and the community."
The District website is sharing additional information about these projects on the Capital Project Page so that community members may learn more and cast informed votes at their respective Town Meetings.