City staff said the conversion of the former science lab in Room 208 at the Arthur Healy School into small-group learning classrooms is a more complex project than it appears, and they scheduled the work for next summer because of staffing and contractor capacity constraints.

Director Raich told the joint committee that the room contains embedded utilities and fixed lab furniture that will require substantial upgrades to heating, ventilation, electrical and plumbing systems to meet code for a different use. He said the project is “an actual project, much like the addition of the classroom at the Argenciano,” and that the city is prioritizing the Argenciano addition for this summer.

School committee members described the room as unsuited for current small-group instruction because the lab furniture includes gas and water fixtures and is arranged for science teaching, not the intervention and therapy spaces now needed by the school. Several members thanked DPW for cutting out a lot of the fixed furniture this summer as an interim step that improves usability.

The joint committee agreed to mark the item work complete for now and to expect a future update when the administration schedules the construction for Healy Room 208.