Schools seek $2.5M for Stacy HVAC work, will drop $1M electrical request

The Town of Milford will hold its Special Town Meeting on Oct. 26 at 7 p.m. in Upper Town Hall, 52 Main St. 

School Committee articles include a $2.5 million request for HVAC improvements at Stacy Middle School, but they will drop a separate proposal to spend roughly $1 million to replace the electrical switchgear at Stacy.

District Superintendent Craig Consigli said officials have spent recent weeks refining the district’s proposed Town Meeting warrant articles.

“Over the last couple of weeks, we’ve been working through all these different articles to make sure that what we’re asking the town taxpayers for is actually accurate and what we need,” Consigli said.

The $2.5 million HVAC request would focus on Building D, the classroom wing facing Spruce Street.

“The most critical piece of this is where the majority of the classrooms are,” Consigli said.

Officials had considered a broader HVAC project, but Consigli said estimates for completing all of the work came in around $12 million.

“We had a little bit of sticker shock when they told us the price to get everything done,” he said.

Committee member John Erickson said the Building D work is expected to cost about $4.7 million in total, including approximately $2.2 million previously appropriated. The committee corrected language in the warrant before unanimously approving the additional $2.5 million request.

If money remains after the classroom-wing work, Consigli said they could address portions of the science wing or air handlers serving the auditorium.

The new appropriation would also pay for engineering and design work for the entire building, allowing those plans to be used as the district tackles additional HVAC improvements in future phases.

The committee also unanimously voted to remove a roughly $1 million request to replace electrical switchgear at Stacy.

Consigli said that contractors remarked on the equipment’s age, and the fact that it is no longer manufactured, but replacement components can still be obtained. Rather than replacing equipment that may still be functional, they plan to see if it can be repaired.

The district is still seeking $250,000 to replace its phone system. Officials said the current system is no longer serviced and could be difficult or impossible to restore if it fails.

“It could be tomorrow that they go down, it could be five years from now,” Consigli said.

The committee also approved a $107,000 warrant request related to compensation for a district employee on military leave.

The full warrant can be found at www.milfordma.gov.