Committee discusses capital priorities: bathrooms, locker rooms, cameras and technology upgrades

The Smithfield School Committee spent substantial time on Jan. 2 discussing capital projects, with multiple members calling bathroom renovations the top priority and others urging upgrades to security cameras, servers and wireless access points.

A committee member described a recent holiday fair that strained restroom facilities and said dated plumbing and fixtures created an operational problem that day. Administrators said funds received last year had only begun bathroom work and that a phased, multiyear approach would be needed across school buildings, including the middle school. Members asked whether combining locker-room renovations with bathroom projects would produce construction efficiencies.

One committee member urged prioritizing technology upgrades for security — including cameras and servers — and noted the district recently upgraded servers for camera systems. Administrators said an architect on the building committee would review the entire high school to recommend how to maximize capital dollars and what projects make sense to combine.

The superintendent reiterated there is a capital planning process and that some work will fall into later years of the town budget cycle; the building committee and architect will help prioritize work and advise on sequencing and funding.