The committee’s engagement with the community emerged as a focal point, with discussions about the structure of a project website and community outreach efforts. Members considered various elements of the website, including a welcome page, meetings page, news page, documents space, bios, and FAQs. The proposal for a visual roadmap to track project progress was also brought up.

Community engagement was further extended to the idea of conducting tours of Medford High School and developing a roadshow presentation to involve local residents. Engaging local businesses was suggested to enhance community awareness. The term “reimagine” was recommended for use in communications to emphasize the transformative goals of the project.

In the meeting, the committee underscored the importance of specificity in the project’s early stages. Identifying what the community values and seeks to preserve was deemed integral, as well as considering changes to programming and space utilization. The creation of a mailing list to maintain contact with interested parties was proposed, alongside engaging stakeholders such as sports teams, parent-teacher organizations, and city boards. The potential involvement of third-party tenants and a tour of the current building were suggested to assess resources and challenges.

The level of consultant involvement in the study was debated, highlighting the need for thorough preparation before external engagement.

Another topic was the expansion of vocational programs and the possible integration of the Curtis Tufts program into the campus. The committee planned discussions and a vote on this matter. The review of the first draft of the chapter 74 viability program document, which focuses on existing programs and proposed expansion, provided insights into the potential risks and benefits of growing vocational programs. Considerations included space, costs, demand for programs, and alignment with regional and state requirements.

The importance of the Capital planning process was noted, with an aim to refine it before adding maintenance documents.