Littleton Public Schools Shares Update on Shaker Lane School Building Project

LITTLETON — The Shaker Lane Building Committee, in collaboration with its project team and town and school leaders, has made significant progress in its efforts to build a new school for students in Pre-Kindergarten to Grade 2.

LPS leadership met with MSBA’s Facility Assessment Subcommittee on Jan. 29 to review the project’s progress. In a significant step, Subcommittee members spoke extremely favorably about Littleton’s presentation and the high level of work completed by the Shaker Lane team to date.

Shaker Lane opened in 1961 and was last renovated in 1998. The building has exceeded its useful lifespan, and has numerous issues involving safety, building systems, and quality of educational spaces. Littleton Public Schools spent several years reviewing conditions and assessing the building’s ability to support a 21st century education for its youngest students.

In 2023, Littleton was accepted into the Massachusetts School Building Authority program. MSBA and its team of experts work with the district to ensure that building projects are both educationally appropriate and fiscally responsible.

In other updates:

• Based on an ongoing review of the site, the proposed building has been reoriented slightly to provide additional security to outdoor class spaces and potentially improve energy production from solar arrays.
• A Sustainability Subcommittee has been formed, and includes members of the Building Committee, Town Sustainability Committee, and school administration. The Subcommittee will offer feedback to the project team relating to sustainability, resilience, wellness, and cost. The project team will make recommendations to the full Shaker Lane Building Committee related to HVAC system selection, alignment with local and state green energy codes, and other project goals.

The Building Committee hopes to finalize its presentation to the MSBA Board Directors by June 26. The Town will then learn the level of state reimbursement.

Once approved, the Town will have 140 days to receive voter approval at both a Special Town Meeting and a townwide referendum.

The project will be funded through a long-term construction bond requiring approval by town voters. Town and school financial leaders continue to explore options to reduce the impact of a new Shaker Lane on taxpayers.

Should the project not be approved, the Town would have to start the MSBA process again, delaying the opening of a new school by seven to 10 years.

Project information, including answers to Frequently Asked Questions, may found at the LPS Shaker Lane web page here.

Future events

• The Shaker Lane Building Committee meets monthly. The public is welcome to attend. The next scheduled meetings are on March 12, April 16, May 14, and June 18.
• The Sustainability Subcommittee will meet publicly in late February and March, dates to be announced later.
• The Building Committee hopes to present a communitywide update immediately preceding the Annual Town Meeting on Monday, May 6. The meeting is open to the public, and there will be ample time for questions. Details will be announced as available.

###