City staff told the joint City Council–School Committee session that Somerville does not have a completed swing-space plan to house students if a school building becomes unusable and that the only city-owned building with potential — the Cummings building — would require substantial work before it could serve as school space.

Director Raich said Cummings would need code and safety upgrades, roof and HVAC repairs and other investments before it could be activated. He described prior emergency, limited use of two rooms in the building as a warming center but said the rest of the facility “requires a significant number of code updates and safety updates.”

Committee members asked about outreach to noncity options. Raich said the city has had broad conversations with the archdiocese; some Catholic schools gave a “hard no,” while others were not closed to discussion but no firm agreements were reached. Councilors and school committee members repeatedly urged the administration to produce a written swing-space plan with a clear timetable and resource needs so officials will be able to act quickly if a building fails.

Why it matters: School committee members recalled scrambling to find space when Winter Hill became unusable and said the lack of a ready contingency plan compounds the risk posed by known roof and HVAC vulnerabilities at other schools. Several committee members asked the city to identify whether the work could be done in-house or would require a consultant, and to return before budget season with a clear scope and cost request if one is needed.

Raich said the city and its consultants are capacity-constrained and that both staff and outside firms are busy; he urged clarity from the council on what support the city should seek in next year’s budget. The joint committee left the item in committee and requested a memorandum detailing options, required actions and estimated timelines.