Committee seeks say on school heat pump plan
The Shutesbury School Committee pushed for a formal say in Shutesbury Elementary's heat pump conversion, warning a $150,000 state design grant could still leave oil backup in the mix.
School Committee 2026-10-15 Part 2 · Meeting of October 15, 2026
SHUTESBURY — The Shutesbury School Committee pushed for a formal say in Shutesbury Elementary's heat pump conversion, warning a $150,000 state design grant could still leave oil backup in the mix. Member Anna Heard said the committee needs "an opinion about what's best for the school" before the town finalizes its request for qualifications, noting two of three current options still include oil or propane backup against the town's 2050 decarbonization roadmap. Member Nathan Longcope, newly sworn to the town's Clean Energy Procurement Committee, said a full ground-source system was ruled out near $9 million and relayed a Mass Save representative's doubts about air-to-water performance.
The committee separately approved the Shutesbury Elementary Family Handbook unanimously and moved Megan Lennon onto the Union 28 Joint Supervisory Committee in place of Longcope. Director of Student Support Services Amy Langdon briefed members on new DESE timeout and seclusion rules effective since August 17.
In the full story:
- Who Was There
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- The complete report — 2,671 words
Source: the School Committee 2026-10-15 Part 2 meeting of October 15, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.
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