Auburn School Committee Approves $288,399 Emergency Parking Lot Repair at Swanson

AUBURN — October 8, 2025 — Auburn School Committee votes $288,399 emergency repair for Swanson School parking lot. The committee unanimously approved amendments to a warrant article and capital improvement plan Wednesday after camera inspections revealed cracked walls, displaced stones, and excess punch-outs in an underground stormwater chamber beneath the lot. Superintendent Jennifer Chamberlain said DPW Director Joanna Pacquin reviewed the footage and concluded the entire system must be replaced. The expanded scope — up from an initial $132,999 contract — will be funded primarily through $265,553 in unspent funds left over from a 2013 Auburn Middle School building project, with just $34,446 drawn from the Swanson Road HVAC capital line. Officials called the project an emergency because paving cannot proceed past approximately mid-November to early December when asphalt plants close, and temporary parking on the school's kickball field cannot be safely plowed.