It’s not easy keeping up with the numerous high ticket and simultaneous town of Wellesley building projects, but Facilities Director Joe McDonough’s annual presentation before the Select Board is a great way to play catch-up.
McDonough did the honors—what he always refers to as “my Super Bowl”—at the Select Board meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 18 (see Wellesley Media recording about 23 minutes in). Some of the projects he covered, such as the Tolles Parsons Center kitchen, school air conditioning plans, and Morses Pond bath house, are high profile, while others are more behind the scenes, such as fire alarm system and light bulb replacements as well as upgrading roofs to extend their lives.
For fiscal year 2027, which begins next July, McDonough cited almost $1.5m in requests affecting buildings from the Fiske, Schofield and Sprague Elementary Schools to libraries, a fire station, and Department of Public Works properties. Over the years, the town has caught up on lots of deferred maintenance (like for the renovated Town Hall) and refocused on ongoing maintenance (including system tune-ups) and new projects. McDonough reviewed the Facilities & Maintenance Department’s capital planning process, which includes cash capital planning, feasibility studies, design work, and construction.
Such capital planning projects always get a thorough vetting in town during regular meetings of the Permanent Building Committee and others, as well as at Town Meeting. Attention is paid to energy efficiency, accessibility, and more. And projects will be getting an even closer look this year and going forward as Wellesley establishes a Town-wide Capital Committee to get a handle on an emerging $400 million in capital projects.
One recurring theme in McDonough presentation was that “new” buildings, such as the high school that opened in 2012, actually aren’t so new anymore and are starting to require some extra attention. More than $2m in cash capital investments are projected for the high school building in coming years, covering everything from plumbing to fire alarm systems. As buildings age, it starts to get hard to find replacements for their systems, and new systems might need to be installed.
Then there are plain old buildings, like the Middle School, which has been around for 76 years. A steam boiler recently conked out and is being replaced. McDonough said it’s not too early to be thinking of a long-term replacement strategy for the school, citing a middle school in Needham targeted for about $300m. On the horizon could be a $40.5m pre-school replacement, a $60m fire station overhaul involving one or more buildings (a master plan is in the works to address shortcomings of the 98-year-old station in Wellesley Square and more), and a $101m revamp of DPW facilities at Municipal Way. McDonough cited placeholder estimates for projects.
McDonough shared updates on current projects, including the RDF administration building that had construction funds approved at the recently completed Special Town Meeting. Work has been ongoing at the Warren Building on HVAC upgrades, and the Health and Recreation Departments should be welcomed back soon.
FY27 projects lack glamour but are essential.
McDonough also whipped out the crystal ball and reviewed major building projects for years to come that include the Morses Pond bath house, school air conditioning, and fire stations. Such projects will fit into the town’s overall 10-year capital plan, and be rejiggered accordingly as priorities and funding mechanisms (inside the tax levy, via debt exclusions, Community Preservation Act funds) are determined.
Select Board questions following the presentation focused on topics such as changing fire codes, succession planning within FMD, air conditioning spending justifications, and all those studies involved in capital planning.
For those who can’t get enough of the Joe Show, McDonough visits the Advisory Committee on Wednesday, Nov. 19.
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Not to trivialize fire or school safety, but $220,000 seems like an awful lot of money for a product that barely works and everyone hates.