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The Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School Building and Grounds department presented a high-level update on their work to the L-S School Committee on Tuesday. Kevin Rossley, the Director of Building and Grounds, walked them through the broad strokes of their efforts to maintain an environment that supports the academic and athletic activities at the school.
In addition to the overall conditions of the building and grounds, the committee and administration lauded the high quality of the department staff, their engagement in the school community, ongoing efforts to pursue new trainings and certification, and the efficiency of service provided to the school community when requests are made. Here’s a slide providing an overview of the department’s responsibilities:
Notably, Rossley conveyed to the committee that the building is aging. While many in the community still refer to it as the “new building,” it’s now 20 years old. Much like the other school buildings in Sudbury, Rossley said they would need to start planning for a roof replacement, which is a major capital project. In addition to aging infrastructure, he also indicated that inflation and technology updates present some challenges to the department. That’s consistent with comments from the Town of Sudbury and Sudbury Public Schools.
The list of upcoming projects/needs is significant, and includes an HVAC system upgrade, wastewater system upgrades and track resurfacing in addition to the roof. Here’s a slide of the projects coming in the future:
The administration emphasized that Rossley’s team works closely with the administration in the capital planning process. He also explained how the department tries to maximize the shelf life of any given asset and works to prioritize projects with the administration.
Kirsteen Patterson, the high school’s Director of Finance and Operations, emphasized that the good work of the department creates some flexibility in the capital planning process, pointing out that a well-maintained asset may not need to be replaced as soon as planned, which allows them to address unexpected or emergent maintenance needs when they come up.