Lexington School Building Committee Advances Interior Design Concepts, Hears $121.7M Grant Update

LEXINGTON -- October 27, 2025, Lexington's School Building Committee reviewed interior design concepts and received a $121.7 million grant update at its October 27 meeting. Chair Kathleen Linehan and designer Sarah Sopalak of SMMA presented a "Journey by Connection" framework that assigns a linear motif to Wing A, an organic branch theme to Wing B, and a radial bloom aesthetic to Wing C, with proposed accent colors of deep plum, cyan, and gold respectively. Committee members including Julie Hackett and Carolyn Kosnoff pushed back on the proposed palette, with Hackett calling for deeper, bolder colors and Kosnoff noting a lack of green for a building emphasizing sustainability. Project manager Kate reported that a structural column-reduction study is underway and initial cost figures will be presented at the Program Budget Committee meeting on November 13. Mike Cronin announced that the Massachusetts School Building Authority determined a $1 million lab donation would not reduce the reimbursement grant, increasing the total maximum grant by roughly $365,000 to approximately $121.7 million.