The Newburyport School Committee heard an update April 29 on the MSBA Accelerated Repair Program project for a school roof and was told the project has moved from planning to the design phase, with an owner’s project manager (p3 Inc. of Norwell) and designer (Gannett Fleming of Boston) assigned.

Mister McSweeney, who gave the update on behalf of facilities staff, said the project team will meet to develop a schedule and that work on design and contract procurement will mean construction would not start before next summer. “We are progressing slowly but forward,” he said.

Committee members asked about the solar panels mounted over the auditorium and gym roof section that will be replaced. McSweeney said the panels — installed around 2012 and therefore roughly 13–15 years old — will require evaluation because they need to be removed and reinstalled to complete the roof work. The district will work with Amaresco, the district’s solar service provider, and the designer to determine if panels should be reinstalled or replaced as part of the project and to account for removal/reinstallation costs in the design and capital planning process.

Members also raised public-use concerns for outdoor spaces near the construction area. McSweeney said the district will assess laydown and staging areas and try to minimize closures but could not guarantee every outdoor facility would remain open during work. He said the district will coordinate with City Hall staff on allocation of space for construction staging and traffic control.

No formal committee vote was required; the item was informational. Staff said they will continue coordination with MSBA, the OPM and the design firm, and bring more detailed scope and cost information to the committee as it becomes available.

Background details provided to the committee indicate the district will need to identify a city capital contribution as part of the MSBA project planning and will include those figures in future capital improvement deliberations.