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The Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School (LSRHS) Building Committee has made a decision about the school’s aging roof: it will wait until the roof reaches 25 years before replacement. Waiting for the roof to reach an appropriate age could delay the replacement until at least 2029 or potentially later.
According to Building Committee chair Jack Ryan, 25 years is the minimum age for the roof to qualify for Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) funding, but an even older roof has better chances of qualifying. “Twenty-five years is when you’re first eligible, but if you can safely wait until year 26 or even year 27, that’s even better,” explained Ryan. That means even though the LSRHS roof hits 25 years of age in 2029, the Building Committee may allow the roof to age further to increase the possibility of receiving MSBA funding. The roof is currently 22-years-old.
A major issue with making changes to a school is how it will affect the students and the school day. To address this, Ryan proposes that work could be done one section at a time to help reduce the effect on students. Ryan explained that the LSRHS’s roof is separated into five parts: the A Building, the AB Connector, the B Building, the BC Connector, and the C Building. None of the parts connect or overlap, allowing for each piece to be worked on individually. According to Ryan, to reduce the impact on students, the builders could “replace the roof section that is in the worst condition first and then move to the other sections afterward.” The Building Committee is considering this plan. Working on the roof in separate sections could result in less change during the school year because once a section is finished, construction could pause until the next summer. If the roof does not receive State funding, construction over multiple years would spread out costs and lessen the annual financial load.
Due to their decision to wait until the roof is old enough to qualify for MSBA funding, the Building Committee has been temporarily suspended until 2029. Ryan provided, “Right now, there is no work being done by the Building Committee because we’re simply maintaining the roof. You don’t need a Building Committee to do that. Kevin Rossley [the Director of Building and Grounds] is very capable of handling that on his own.”
According to Ryan, “The L-S roof continues to be maintained through a proactive preventative maintenance program. Currently, there are no active roof leaks, and the Buildings and Grounds department performs routine inspections and repairs to help extend the roof service life.” Rossley confirmed that while the Building Committee is suspended, LSRHS Building and Grounds could maintain the roof until it was time for replacement.
Aaron Ortiz is a News Editor at The Forum — the student newspaper of Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School.