TURNERS FALLS — A feasibility study is underway through the Massachusetts School Building Authority to explore the possibility of building a new Franklin County Technical School or renovating its existing building.

Representatives from Lavallee Brensinger Architects and Colliers Engineering & Design, discussing their work with the School Committee on Wednesday, met with administrators and staff on multiple occasions to get an idea of the existing conditions on a structural basis, as well as consult with people about the ideas they have for what the school could look like in the future. Options include renovations, building an addition onto the existing structure that opened to students in September 1976 or constructing a new building altogether.

“When we look at the site, I think especially for this project, we’re looking at this at a campus level,” Lavallee Project Manager David Harris said about the school. “So we need to understand all these various usages of the campus and how we might best integrate potential additions or potential new buildings.”

Franklin Tech has been part of the Massachusetts School Building Authority’s feasibility study process since February 2024. During this time, the school has created a building task force and hired Colliers Engineering & Design as the owner’s project managers. The feasibility study began in December 2024 and will continue until August 2025.

The first submission to the Massachusetts School Building Authority, which will involve a review of existing building conditions and goals, is due May. A schematic design phase that will settle on a preferred building design, project scope and budget to send to the state for approval will follow in the fall of this year. Community outreach and a school district vote won’t be in the cards until mid-2026, and construction is expected to start in 2028.

Company representatives explained that the school is in a good place for this project, with no code violations, but elements such as the heating, ventilation and air conditioning system, plumbing, fire protections and the roof are all nearing the end of their useful lifespans. The conditions summary also explains how parts of the building, including the kitchen, are undersized for the demands of the vocational, academic and service uses.

Although these conditions were noted as needing repair or replacement, Lavallee’s Principal-in-Charge Leigh Sherwood said these are objective observations, and the goal is to avoid making patchwork fixes while making a school that is built to last.

“This is about fixing the problem, and you’re really talking generationally here,” Sherwood told the School Committee. “So we’ll see what happens with it all, and we’re going to be objective and help you get there.”

Outside of the structural data presented, Sherwood detailed the responses the firm received from faculty about the goals for the building when it comes to how it serves students in its academic and vocational purpose. There were many ideas shared, but most notably the faculty members seek to maintain strong academic and vocational programs, along with industry-aligned curriculum so students have developed the most useful skills by the time they graduate.

As for community goals, a new school could provide community partnerships and access to public-use spaces, adult academics and equalized valuations for member town affordability.

School Committee members had a chance to ask questions, including the kind of roof that may be used and how technology would be integrated into the building. Heath representative Art Schwenger noted that getting approval through the Massachusetts School Building Authority is a complex process, and the best way to get support from Heath residents for a large project like this is to emphasize why the decisions are being made.

“I hope that when you do this process that you keep track of the reasons, not just why you’re doing something, but why you’re not doing the other things that are the options,” Schwenger said.

In response, Harris noted that the Massachusetts School Building Authority wants the reasons for why certain choices were made over others to be presented to them as part of the process.

Before the end of the meeting, Superintendent Richard Martin thanked the representatives for their work.

“We’re very thankful for the work that the design team and the OPMs have put into this. They’ve taken time and met separately with all of our vocational instructors, got all their feedback on their equipment, their curriculum, their instruction,” he said. “That’s a lot of work, and there’s a lot more to what you just saw.”

Erin-Leigh Hoffman can be reached at ehoffman@recorder.com or 413-930-4231.