Wilmington Plans Wildwood School Demolition Two Years Early Using $900,000 in TAC Savings

WILMINGTON — February 7, 2026 — Wilmington Finance Committee redirects $900,000 in vocational school savings toward accelerated school demolition. Meeting in the new town hall for the first time, the committee heard Town Manager Jeffrey Slagel announce that Wilmington's Shawsheen Valley Technical High School assessment dropped to $7,348,306 for FY27 — a negative 6.5 percent change against a budgeted 5 percent increase — saving the town roughly $900,000 due to a loss of 31 enrolled students as Bedford and Burlington began using their full seat allotments. The windfall, combined with insurance savings, will fund the estimated $1.8 million Wildwood School demolition two years ahead of schedule, in FY27 rather than FY29. The police capital budget was trimmed by $50,000, to $335,000, after an insurance settlement covered a cruiser struck in a Low Street collision. IT Director John Laracy disclosed $30,000 in new Adobe software spending to meet a federal ADA digital-accessibility deadline of April 2027, with Community Compact grants unavailable to Wilmington due to its MBTA Communities noncompliance. The fire substation's conservative cost estimate has risen to $16 million — up from the $12 million working figure — with a final architect estimate due in April and a separate town meeting warrant article expected to fund the remaining balance from free cash and overlay funds.