District technology director warns of $175k–$200k school lighting replacement; questions over which entity pays

Jared Pine, technology director for the regional school district, told the Select Board on June 1 that the Odyssey lighting-control system installed at Templeton Elementary lost the vendor cloud service, disabling scheduled controls and making replacement of ceiling controllers urgent.

Pine said replacement estimates for one-to-one controller replacements from three vendors ranged roughly from $175,000 to $200,000 for parts alone, before labor and potential wiring changes. "The system itself...the company promised to have the cloud interface up and running until 2026, but they ... the system went down last summer," he said.

Board members and district representatives discussed whether the Green Communities designation funds allocated to the town could be applied and whether the district (as the lessee/operator of the school building) should lead grant applications. The transcript shows differing views about whether the $58,000 designation grant referenced by state staff is immediately available to the town; the town accountant and administrator flagged a different line-item balance of approximately $20,165 in the municipal account and advised further reconciliation.

Several board members suggested the district may need to pursue state competitive grants or MSBA support for capital repairs, and at least one member asked for an MSBA/contracting review because the building was constructed under a state process that might afford recourse.

What happens next: Pine and the town will continue to pursue grant options, confirm available Green Communities designation funding, and coordinate with the district and state agencies to clarify responsibilities and potential contract recourse. The board asked staff to follow up on the exact grant balances and legal responsibilities under the regional school agreement.