Needham Select Board, 8/3/26

Thank you.

Recording in progress good evening and welcome to the special select board meeting for monday august 3rd 2026. this meeting is being broadcast by the Needham channel for the town's youtube channel via zoom and is also being recorded for publication and later viewing I don't see anyone in the room, but I know that the Needham channel is recording and thus likely the local. Is The Observer online? Okay, there's no one else in the room who is recording. So we're gonna go right away to our first agenda item which is a vote on the Warner Field Memorandum of Agreement and I will turn to town manager.

great uh thank you madam chair since your last meeting on july 21st at that meeting i had updated you on new information regarding article 97 and the Pollard Middle School project, specifically our intended use of Warner Field. Since that meeting there have been a lot of other meetings so we have secured two of the three local approvals required under Article 97 for the intended use at Warner Field for the geothermal wells. The Conservation Commission gave unanimous approval on July 23rd. Park and Recreation Commission gave unanimously approval on 24th We also in those conversations, the board's aware drafted a memorandum of agreement just putting down and writing what the plans are. This is not a requirement of Article 97, but a local choice we're making given all the coordination across boards.

So likewise that memorandum of agreement was approved by the Park and Recreation Commission the permanent public building committee, school building committee and the school committee since you last met. So that approved MOA is before you tonight and I would ask if there are any questions, otherwise recommend a vote.

Great, thank you. I guess I'd just like to say thanks to Park and Recreation Commission, Conservation Committee Commission, and the school committee, PPBC School Building Committee for all addressing approvals so quickly with special meetings, so that we can get town-wide consensus on those geothermal wells under Warner Field. and provide this assurance to the town and to the MSBA that we're sort of broadly supportive, and all on the same page. to make sure that the project is a success. And I also hope that the MOA will assure the community that Warner Field will be returned to the community in good shape as quickly as possible. I guess if happy for anyone to speak but I know that Kathy is online so I'm kind of in general gonna go to her first just so that I don't forget.

So, Kathy anything you want to say about this?

Nothing really, just thank you to everybody for working so quickly to resolve this in a timely manner so that we can stay on track with the MSBA deadlines.

Great. Josh?

Yeah, I had a question about the Conservation Commission's article 97 vote. So I watched the recording so that the intent certainly is for them to retain their ability to have order of conditions if the project comes before them. Was there vote pertaining to the surface or subsurface? What did they deem was surplus? The subsurface work was deemed. So when DeFazio went before the ConCom in 2008 for the Field of Dreams project and then subsequently for some amendments, they noticed that the groundwater supply was a resource that was of importance. Because of their vote will they be able to condition make conditions that protect that existing groundwater supply?

The vote that they took under Article 97 does not in any way alter their regulatory authority under the permits they normally would issue.

but it didn't declare that groundwater supply surplus in any way.

I'm not sure if... I'm understanding your question.

Do we really still have the ability to acknowledge that there are groundwater resources that need protecting?

Yes, come on up.

I'm Councilor Chrissy. Hi.

Yes, their vote was purely under Article 97 in terms of the use of the land. And they found the use for the subsurface geothermal to be unnecessary for the town's open space and conservation needs. Whatever authority they have under the Wetlands Protection Act, and our local wetland protection bylaw is fully preserved and untouched by the vote that they took two weeks ago.

OK, so it's so they didn't say that groundwater supply is not something that needs to be protected?

I don't know that they considered it, but in terms of the organization of the vote we put in front of them, that wasn't something we were asking them to do.

I'm going to just again thank you to everyone involved to get it done on a timely basis. And I know summertime vacations, getting everyone together is sometimes hard so I just thank everyone for doing that.

Keane.

Madam Chair, I make a motion that the Board vote to execute the memorandum of agreement between the Select Boards School Committee Park and Recreation Commission and the Permanent Public Building Committee, the School Building Committee regarding the use of Warner Field in conjunction with a Pollard Middle School project. Second.

Excellent, and we'll do a roll call vote because we have a member who is remote. Kathy? Yes. Bill?

Yes Josh? Yes

Kevin?

Aye.

And the chair votes yes. Motion passes. excellent okay and our next and last item on our agenda is the vote on the debt exclusion ballot question language and placement on the November 3rd 2026 state ballot and again we'll go to the town manager

Thank you, Madam Chair. The motion that is drafted before you and the ballot question language have been reviewed and approved by Town Council, Mass School Building Authority. We've been in active for communication with the town clerk regarding our obligations under the Secretary of State. And this ballot question has to be provided to the secretary of state's office by Wednesday. just to know a reminder of where we are in the process with the MSBA they will provide for us before the August 26th MSBA board meeting their final will be providing a maximum reimbursement rate to the town. And the MSBA board vote will be approving the project budget and scope agreement that will provide us a maximum approval will be conditional on us securing all of the local approvals and permits that we need.

So town meeting approval, the voters' approval, and the permits required for the project. So that's it, unless there are any questions.

No questions. Well, not for me anyway although I would like to just note that we've had a lot of emails on the subject today and appreciate all the input from those who reached out. I just want to make sure that everyone understands what we're voting on tonight the issue at hand tonight is whether to place this question, this specific question on the November ballot for approval or non-approval by the Needham voters it is not a discussion of cost or what kind of heating system we should have or the site location or whether or not there should be an auditorium any of these things All of these things, including the reimbursement rate and the final cost to the project will be known and publicized before the ballot vote. And you'll be able information on all of that but this is just about this specific language for this specific ballot question and I would just like to suggest again

that those who have been emailing and who have thoughts on this project, that they would like to share. We are very interested in those. And I hope that you will send not only those thoughts to the Select Board, but also to the School Committee and the Permanent Public Building Commission as well. So with that I'll sort of open it to the floor. And I said I would go to Kathy first so I'm going to Kathy

Thank you, Heidi. I think that we have a project that is very well down the path with the state in terms of reimbursement. It has been very well considered by the school committee, the PBC and all interested parties. You know, at this point as as the chair has said we are voting to put it on the ballot and that will be for the voters to decide. And so to me there isn't Much of a choice here. We want to put it in front of the voters, given that this is such a well-planned, well-baked project. So I can't imagine not putting it in although I am strongly in favor of it.

Thank you, Cathy. Bill? I agree that it's well down the road and that we should at this point let it get to the citizens of the town to make that decision. And as you said, this is not We're not really going through every nitty-gritty, but it's just to get it on the ballot. And I know we have to do this because I don't want to delay it. If you delay things they cost more money so i don't wanna have any more costs for the town I think it's pretty straightforward.

OK. Josh?

Yeah, so I served on the school master plan extension working group back in 2021 and so I've seen how the project has changed and grown since then. And I agree that there are all being equal, there are good reasons to be in favor of this design and good reason to be opposed to this design. It's not the place here to hash out every one I think the only reason not to put this in front of the voters is if there's a material deficiency in the submission and I do see two material deficiencies in looking at the comments from the MSBA that were received on June excuse me, July 27th. The first is in general classroom space so The submission is nine fewer classrooms than the MSBA standards, and each of those classrooms are the minimum size of 850 square feet. It's true that there are other aspects of the project that are above and beyond the existing projects.

So there are project areas and clusters, Those are each 750 square feet, each below the minimum size. And even when you add up all of them that are in there, you're still down one classroom from the MSBA standards. and so then you're gonna have to figure out do you get that one classroom from the English language learner classroom, from the world language classrooms. You're in a position where you're just not meeting the minimum standards The other place where there's a deficiency is in the media center. And so just roughly speaking of, you know, the 8000 square foot standard, the proposed media centers 3000 square foot deficient you know in an age when school boards across the country are really demonizing school libraries with book banning and censorship, I don't think we should be in a position of diminishing the importance of school libraries even in square footage.

Both of these areas came with caveats from the MSBA that required additional justification for these. and overall, they made this comment which I tend to agree with. The MSBA considers it critical that the districts and their designers aggressively pursue design strategies to achieve compliance with the MSBA guidelines for all proposed projects in the new program and strive to meet the gross square footage allowed per student in the core classroom space standards as outlined in the guidelines. The MSBA also considers its stance on core classroom spaces critical to its mission of supporting construction of successful school projects throughout the Commonwealth that meet current and future educational demands. The MSBA does not want to see this critical component of education suffer at the expense of larger or grander spaces that are not directly involved in the education of students. So I agree with that. I'm absolutely in favor of a theater, for instance, not at the expense of classrooms, not

I have heard some people say don't let perfect be the enemy of the good. I'm not looking for perfect, I'm looking to meet at minimum the minimum standards of the MSBA so I'm going to be voting against this

OK. Kevin?

This is a good motion, and we should get in front of the voters. I think they would be eager to speak on it. So I'd make a motion. The Assange Board vote to place the following debt exclusion override question on the November 3rd, 2026 state election ballot. Quote, shall the town of Needham be allowed to exempt from the provisions of Proposition 2 and 1 half, so-called. The amounts required to pay for the bonds issued in order to provide Architectural Design, Engineering Construction Demolition in Site Work Including Incidental Cause for a New Pollard Middle School on Harris Avenue? Yes or no was awesome. Just had to finish yes and no time.

All right, excellent. Thank you. Then we will come to the vote. And I will start with you Kathy? Yes. Bill?

Yes

Josh? No. Kevin?

Aye.

And the chair votes yes and the motion passes. all right and um yeah excellent move to adjourn so uh we have a motion on the table is there a second all right? And Kathy are you in favor of adjourning yes Bill? Yes. Josh? Yes Kevin? Yes And the chair votes yes Thank you