It’s complicated, cumbersome and complex, and they conceded it could be confusing. But the takeaway from Monday’s select board meeting is this: It won’t cost $72 million to renovate the old high school. It won’t cost $60 million. And it may not even cost $5 million to get the Council on Aging and Town Hall Annex offices in the door.

After five years of mostly fruitless study by various consultants, paid experts and one now-defunct town committee, architects from the Brewster Thornton Group on Monday released the results of a recent study on what they believe can be done with the old high school.

Though there have been no shortages of ideas for the property over the years, they have all been hobbled by high cost estimates, confusion over the competing influences and requirements of fire safety and building codes, and inertia from a former committee charged with finding a future for the landmark property.

And while they agreed that finding the best, most cost effective use for the old building remains incredibly complex, architects presented four ideas that they believe can get the process started without breaking the town’s bank.

What are they?

The options include:

• A modest initial project to bring in the Council on Aging’s educational programs only, a move that would require a partial code upgrade, sprinkler upgrade, well work and no interior renovations. The estimated cost is $1.42 million.

• An option to complete “limited interior renovations,” including adding sprinklers building-wide, replacing the well pump, building a new power distribution system and minor interior renovations, while limiting new uses to COA programs, would run about $2.87 million.

• For about $3.16 million, the town could complete partial upgrades with more extensive interior renovations;

• And for about $5 million, the select board’s preferred option, partial code upgrades could be completed and the COA’s educational programs, as well as Town Hall Annex offices, could move in.

There would be a full renovation of COA spaces, office space renovations, ADA improvements, an elevator and partial exterior renovations.

“I appreciate you giving us a realistic number,” said select board member Jake McGuigan, who has been outspoken in his criticism of earlier plans for the building that he said were incompatible with Westport and in his opinion would never be supported by taxpayers.

Even the architects’ highest cost estimate — $42 million, also presented Monday — offers some reason to hope, he said.

Though he said that number initially worried him, he felt better after digging into the details. He and others, including board member Richard Mundy, said the “a la carte” nature of the $42 million plan was reassuring, as it is made up of a punch list of items, many of which could be seen as “niceties” and aren’t necessary. So in reality, they speculated, that $42 million could be reduced by quite a bit.

“We wanted (the a la carte list) so that when we’re not here tomorrow, you guys can come back to it and say, ‘Alright, we’re ready to go do the baseball dugouts,’” architect Christine Shea said. “This is the very big picture.”

What’s next?

Determining which option is best will involve complex interpretations and tests of the International Building Code, state accessibility commission and fire safety commission requirements.

But members agreed that their largest priorities are advocating for a fiscally responsible plan that includes getting the Annex offices and COA in the building to start, while leaving the door open for future renovations that could bring in much, much more and could be supported not just by a debt exclusion but also grants and other funding sources.

“I like this as a starting point,” board chairwoman Shana Teas said.

“It’s very encouraging,” added audience member David LaLima, who for years has been outspoken in his belief that the COA should have a seat at the table in the newly renovated high school.

However good the new plans might be, he said, “this needs framing, because it’s very complicated. What you’ve done is get into the weeds” in discussing the realities of accessibility and building and fire codes and how they will govern what can ultimately be done in the building, and at what cost.

Key now is getting the public on board, because they’ll have the final say at next year’s Town Meeting, and when they are asked to approve a debt exclusion, he said.

“I think you’re going to have a hard time until you get it (simple) enough that it makes sense, because we’re going to be asking for money,” he said.

Board members are expected to discuss the next steps further at the first meeting in December. If all goes well and the preferred early plan for the building is ultimately supported by voters, architects estimated that work could potentially begin during the 2028 fiscal year.

NOTE: Select board members said a key to moving forward is a thorough review of the architects’ plans and various options. Those plans are available at www.westport-ma.com, and Teas encouraged all residents to give them a close read.