FOXBORO - The School Committee supports the idea of Foxboro Cable Access building an addition to the back of Foxboro High School as FCA's home office.

But FCA still has a lot of planning to do before seeking final committee approval and starting the work scheduled for about a year from now.

"We're excited with the intent of the school committee to work with us. Now we can work through issues to make this happen," said Mike Webber, executive director of FCA, after the committee's unanimous vote of support last week.

With FCA already heavily involved in cablecasting schools events such as music, drama and sports, moving the cable access home to the high school should be "positive for both institutions," Webber said.

Webber appeared before the school committee June 16 with Paul Beck, president of the non-profit FCA Inc., and Peter Scott of Wakefield, a consultant and architect hired by FCA. Scott showed preliminary drawings of the three-sided, 5,000-square-foot proposed addition to the high school building. The building project, not including new or upgraded equipment, would cost nearly $1 million, Scott said.

Webber said FCA has about $600,000 in the bank now, but that money was intended for gradual replacement of equipment.

"We never planned that we'd be booted out of a building and have to find a new place to live," Beck said.

Comcast, which holds a cable TV license with the town, has decided to take over the space FCA has occupied for many years at 85 East Belcher Road. The cable firm has given FCA until Nov. 30 to vacate. With no home to go to, FCA hopes a longer stay can be worked out, Webber said.

The cable advisory committee, a subcommittee of the board of selectmen, has asked for an extension, Webber said.

Chaired by resident Lynn Foell, the cable committee is meeting with representatives of Comcast to negotiate a new cable TV license.

Comcast had taken over a previous cable company's 10-year license from the town. That license expires Nov. 30.

Scott said the FCA offices would be designed to match the exterior of the circa 1960s high school, a building he described as a high quality product compared to many school buildings of that era.

Security both for the cable access offices and for the school were among the issues discussed during the session last week.

Once approved, Scott said, it would take about 40 weeks to build the addition. The earliest date to start the work would be next June. Even though FCA would build and occupy the structure, it would have to be owned by the school department and leased to cable access, Scott said. FCA is discussing such issues with the schools department's lawyer, Mike Loughran.

Board chairman Beverley Lord and committee member Kate Kominsky agree to serve as the board's liaison to the project, which still needs final school review after legal, financial and design matters are resolved.

Webber emphasized that FCA's office and studio needs are separate from the recently completed camera network and control room used to cablecast events from the high school auditorium.