by Marty Green ·
Friday, March 14, 2025
The School Committee’s longtime goal has been to keep the Bromfield School’s 1960s building well maintained and usable as far into the future as possible. Since at least 2015, the building’s heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning system has been a major concern. But a committee vote this week could put Bromfield in line to receive matching funds from the state for a new, energy-efficient HVAC system.
A decade-old study found the system’s 40 rooftop units were well past their expected lifetimes, and in 2019 the town began providing money to replace the units one or two at a time. But in 2022 former Town Administrator Tim Bragan pointed out that process was inefficient. (He described it as “trying to eat an elephant one bite at a time.”) Moreover, contractors had become unwilling to bid on such small jobs. So in 2023 the School Committee requested $3 million to replace the units all at once. The Capital Planning and Investment Committee (CPIC) rejected that request, voting instead for an engineering study to determine how best to move forward with the project.
The engineering firm NV5 has since completed that study, guided in part by the Harvard Energy Advisory Committee. NV5 presented the school district with several options for a new HVAC system. All would involve shifting from natural gas to electricity.
The most energy-efficient option—a geothermal system—appears to be prohibitively expensive. And heat pumps are too heavy for the current roof and would require extensive construction. So far, the most practical option seems to be one that places a variant refrigerant flow unit in each classroom, with several classroom units being controlled by each roof unit.
By very fortunate timing, the Massachusetts School Building Authority is now planning to help districts make the shift to electricity. And, as School Committee Chair Abby Besse pointed out at the meeting, having an up-to-date study is a big advantage when applying for MSBA matching funds. The deadline for schools to file a statement of interest in the MSBA’s Accelerated Repair Program is March 21.
At this week’s meeting, the School Committee voted unanimously to submit a statement of interest to the MSBA. If the committee’s application is successful, the MSBA would work with the school district in choosing among the options presented by NV5. “It’s a really good way to do due diligence with the town’s money,” Besse said.
The MSBA also requires a vote by the Select Board to authorize a statement of interest. The board will take up the question March 18. However, filing the statement does not bind either the MSBA or the town to commit money to the final project.