Meeting Minutes: Joint Meeting of the City Council's School Building Facilities and Maintenance Special Committee and the School Committee
Meeting Date: Tuesday, June 10th Governing Body: City Council's School Building Facilities and Maintenance Special Committee and the School Committee (Joint Meeting) Type of Meeting: Remote Participation Attendees:
- City Council: Lance Davis (Chair), Naima Sait, Jesse Clingan
- School Committee: Laura Pitone (Chair), Sarah Phillips
- Administration/Staff: Peter Forrest-Alesi (Clerk), Jill Latham (Commissioner of Public Works), Charlie Breen (Fire Chief), Richard Raish (Director of Infrastructure and Asset Management), Yasmine Roudassi (Legislative Liaison, Intergovernmental Affairs), Danielle Berry (Facilities Safety and Transportation Coordinator), Anna Sike (Chief of Staff, SPS)
Executive Summary:
The joint meeting addressed critical issues concerning school facilities, including a recent break-in at the Winter Hill School, the need for soundproofing at the Arthur D. Healy School Cafetorium, and the ongoing development of preventative maintenance plans and funding for school equipment. Discussions highlighted the importance of inter-departmental collaboration, transparency, and proactive measures to ensure the safety and optimal functioning of school buildings and equipment.
Agenda Item 1: Roll Call and Establishment of Quorum
- Action: Clerk Peter Forrest-Alesi called the roll for the City Council's School Building Facilities and Maintenance Special Committee.
- Councillor Sait: Present
- Councillor Clingan: Present
- Councillor Davis: Present
- Outcome: All members present, quorum established.
- Action: The City Council committee went into recess to allow the School Committee to establish its quorum.
- Action: School Committee Chair Laura Pitone called the roll for the School Committee's Subcommittee on School Building Facilities and Maintenance.
- Sarah Phillips: Present
- Laura Pitone: Present
- Outcome: Quorum established for the School Committee.
- Action: Clerk Peter Forrest-Alesi called the roll again to re-establish quorum for the joint meeting.
- Councillor Sait: Present
- Councillor Clingan: Present
- Councillor Davis: Present
- Outcome: All members present, quorum re-established.
Agenda Item 2: Approval of Minutes from April 14th Meeting
- Action: Motion to approve the minutes of the April 14th meeting was made.
- Outcome: Motion tabled to be taken up at the end of the meeting.
Agenda Item 3: 25-0989 - Discussion on Winter Hill School Building Break-in and Security Measures
- Request: That the Commissioner of Public Works appear before the Special Committee on School Building Facilities and Maintenance to discuss the recent break-in at the Winter Hill School Building and the measures being taken to secure the building.
- Discussion:
- School Committee Chair Laura Pitone provided background on the incident, noting emergency responders were called to the unoccupied Winter Hill School due to reports of smoke and small fires set by individuals inside. She emphasized concerns for safety and future use of the site.
- Commissioner Jill Latham (DPW) explained that a malfunctioning door alarm on May 9th led to daily checks by DPW staff. These checks, not the alarm system, led to the discovery of "smothering fires" on May 12th.
- DPW staff used fire extinguishers to address the fires before the Fire Department arrived.
- The door lock system was fully functional again by May 13th after IT and Verizon resolved the communication error.
- Councillor Clingan inquired about the nature of the door alarm issue and the use of the building by food service.
- Commissioner Latham clarified the door alarm issue meant the alarm would not trigger if a door was forced open.
- Food service uses a portion of the building for storage, primarily the kitchen area, in the mornings. DPW has advised them to ensure doors are not propped open.
- Councillor Clingan stated his understanding that motion sensors were also down due to the technical issue and that individuals likely entered through a window. He confirmed that windows have since been secured.
- Councillor Sait questioned the school department's use of the building, as it was understood to be unoccupied.
- Chief of Staff Anna Sike confirmed the space is used for "limited storage" without a production kitchen. She stated that once the new production kitchen at Argenziano is complete by the end of summer, the Winter Hill space will no longer be as critical.
- Director Richard Raish (IAM) clarified the status of various school buildings:
- 1895 Building: Unsafe for occupancy due to lack of life safety items, heating, cooling, partial electric, and plumbing.
- Cummings School: Limited use for safety-trained construction personnel; has heat but significant code deficiencies for school use.
- Sycamore Street (Winter Hill): Has life safety systems and is not unsafe from a code perspective, particularly the storage area. However, it is not pleasant due to destructive testing and water damage remediation. No projected uses currently.
- School Committee Member Sarah Phillips requested clarification on the status of the building and its future use. She confirmed that once the kitchen is operational and equipment moved out, the building will not be utilized unless authorized by the School Committee.
- Commissioner Latham reiterated that DPW conducts regular safety checks on closed buildings, including Winter Hill, regardless of alarm functionality, to identify issues like water leaks.
- Fire Chief Charlie Breen explained that the fire alarm system at Winter Hill was functioning but relied on heat detectors, not smoke detectors. The small fires did not generate enough heat to trigger the alarm.
- Outcome: Item marked as work complete.
Agenda Item 4: 25-0987 - Update on Preventative Maintenance Plans for School Buildings
- Request: That the Commissioner of Public Works provide an update on preventative maintenance plans for all school buildings and progress on providing the public with tools to view preventative maintenance plans and actions.
- Discussion:
- School Committee Member Laura Pitone provided historical context, recalling previous efforts to create a detailed database for preventative maintenance, which was demonstrated to the committee. She noted the individual who developed it has since left.
- Liaison Yasmine Roudassi mentioned the existing 311 dashboard and internal tracking tools for work orders.
- Director Richard Raish (IAM) provided an update on procuring new software to manage both 311 work orders and preventative maintenance schedules.
- The software will integrate the previously developed database and automate work orders based on PM schedules.
- It will interface with the 311 QAlert system for public reporting.
- 22 proposals were received for the software, currently under review. The goal is to narrow it down to 3-4 for interviews.
- The IAM budget for FY26 includes funding for the software and integration services.
- Implementation is expected to take the "better part of the fiscal year." A follow-up in approximately one year was suggested.
- Councillor Clingan expressed frustration with the ongoing nature of the discussion, questioning who is ultimately responsible for day-to-day building management.
- Commissioner Jill Latham clarified that DPW has a Building Systems Manager and a Preventative Maintenance Manager who manage an internal DPW system for HVAC, boilers, and other systems. They are working with IAM to integrate this into a broader city-wide system.
- Councillor Sait inquired about the status of construction liaison positions and a project website for school building updates.
- Director Raish stated that the construction liaison positions (Magda Gomez) are focused on large capital projects (e.g., Winter Hill MSBA replacement) and not day-to-day PM.
- A project website for broader building maintenance is "still on the horizon" but requires the software system to be in place first.
- Individual capital projects (e.g., West chiller/roof, Healy boiler) will have their own project pages once they reach the construction phase.
- The FY26 IAM budget includes funding for the software, which will be reviewed by the Finance Committee on June 16th.
- The goal is to select software in July, sign contracts in August, and begin implementation in September.
- School Committee Member Sarah Phillips emphasized the need to communicate the significant financial investment in school maintenance to constituents.
- Commissioner Latham mentioned DPW's plan to revamp its website to include a public-facing section with updates on DPW maintenance projects, including school-related ones, potentially on a quarterly basis.
- Outcome: Item marked as work complete.
Agenda Item 5: 25-0587 - Accelerating Maintenance, Preventative Repairs, and Contingency Planning for School Displacement
- Request: That the administration work with the Director of Infrastructure and Asset Management and Commissioner of Public Works to accelerate maintenance schedules, invest in preventative repairs, and develop a clear contingency plan for school displacement.
- Discussion:
- School Committee Chair Laura Pitone highlighted the "contingency plan for school displacement" as the key outstanding element of this item, suggesting it could serve as an "appetizer" for a larger discussion.
- Liaison Yasmine Roudassi provided an update that the City Solicitor is working with the Somerville Public Schools legal team to follow up on the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for the Cummings School, which was requested by the School Committee.
- School Committee Member Sarah Phillips expressed concern that the MOU, intended to be created before the warming center at Cummings opened, is only now being drafted.
- Dr. Phillips formally requested that a motion to receive the city's emergency plan for school closures during the 2025-2026 school year be placed on the agenda for the first fall meeting of this subcommittee.
- Liaison Roudassi stated that the administration is working on a plan but could not provide a timeline for its completion.
- Outcome: Item marked as work complete, with a commitment to bring back the discussion on contingency planning for school displacement in the fall.
Agenda Item 6: 25-0933 - Budgeting and Funding for CTE Equipment Maintenance
- Request: That the administration work with the Somerville Public Schools and the Commissioner of Public Works to effectively budget for and fund current equipment maintenance costs, including but not limited to air compressors and ovens at the High School Career and Technical Education Program, and develop plans to include CTE equipment maintenance needs in future budgeting and funding cycles.
- Discussion:
- School Committee Chair Laura Pitone explained that this item arose from a School Committee discussion about CTE equipment maintenance costs being part of the school budget, rather than the city's DPW budget, despite being large equipment.
- Liaison Yasmine Roudassi confirmed ongoing conversations with Somerville Public Schools regarding long-term financial planning for these items.
- Chief of Staff Anna Sike underscored the collaborative nature of these discussions, aiming for clarity on funding sources for CTE and other facility maintenance.
- School Committee Member Sarah Phillips advocated for linking CTE equipment maintenance to city-wide equipment maintenance contracts to achieve efficiencies of scale.
- Councillor Clingan questioned the historical context, asking if this discussion had occurred previously and what the initial response was.
- Liaison Roudassi stated she was not aware of this specific ask being flagged before her time with the city.
- Councillor Sait asked if a decision on funding source would impact the upcoming fiscal year (FY26).
- Liaison Roudassi clarified that the focus is on sustainably funding future equipment maintenance needs, and current FY26 proposed school budget likely includes these costs.
- School Committee Member Laura Pitone noted the significant growth in CTE, newer and more complex equipment, and increased enrollment, leading to higher maintenance costs. She emphasized the need for a dedicated funding "bucket" rather than absorbing costs from existing, unplanned budgets.
- Councillor Clingan stressed the importance of not delaying repairs due to funding issues and ensuring accountability for equipment care.
- Councillor Davis highlighted that the committee's purpose is to prevent neglect of facilities and equipment, emphasizing that CTE equipment is no different from other building systems in needing proactive maintenance to protect community investments.
- School Committee Chair Laura Pitone commended Somerville High School Principal Alicia Kirsten and CTE Head Jim Hashi for their leadership, which has led to a 48% growth in the CTE department since 2021.
- Chief of Staff Anna Sike reiterated the district's pride in the CTE program's growth and the importance of these conversations for its continued success.
- Outcome: Item marked as work complete.
Agenda Item 2 (Revisited): Approval of Minutes from April 14th Meeting and Adjournment
- Action: Councillor Clingan moved to adjourn.
- Action: Motion to approve the minutes of the April 14th meeting was taken off the table.
- Vote: Roll call vote on approval of minutes and adjournment.
- Councillor Sait: Yes
- Councillor Clingan: Yes
- Councillor Davis: Yes
- Outcome: All members voted to accept the minutes and to adjourn.
Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned.