Maintenance director outlines multi-year capital backlog, flags HVAC and safety projects

Joel Stoneton, Winthrop's maintenance director, briefed the board on facilities work completed with leftover or outside funding and on a larger backlog identified in a prior architectural study. He said many projects were addressed opportunistically rather than through a steady capital program and urged the board to increase the capital-improvement line to address recurring and emerging needs.

"This year, 2526, we were able to do 2 metal doors at the high school..." Stoneton said as he reviewed recent fixes and chronic issues. He described problems from failing doors that allowed water intrusion to a 20-plus-year-old HVAC control system (MEC) and ongoing roof and drainage challenges. He warned that some projects are large: "That's a $400,000 project that is gonna have to be done" when discussing pneumatic/heating replacements and added the grade-school heating automation was estimated at about $260,000.

Stoneton said the district uses a 1-to-5 prioritization system from an outside architectural study, and he maintained a sortable spreadsheet to show top-priority items. He invited the board to review the multi-hundred-page report and said he would provide further detail on timelines and cost estimates as the FY27 budget is developed.