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Okay. Good evening. Welcome to the Warrant Committee of Milton, Massachusetts. It's August 10th, 2026. Uh Karen, can you call us to order? Do you need help seeing who's in the room? >> I just can't see who's right.

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>> Okay, >> that is Lindsay. [laughter] >> Hello. >> Yeah, in the room. Let's just go around and say our say our own names in the room and then Karen, you can call roll for the remote people. [clears throat] Cecil Yang, >> Elaine Craighead,

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>> Lorraine D, Lindseay Sans, >> Jay Funling, >> and online you have Nicole, Larry Johnson, Levita Johnson, and Jimmy Stoes. You have a quorum. >> Okay, we have a quorum. Great. Uh the

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first thing I'd like to do tonight is to pull up the calendar that we looked up looked at last week when we look at this at the beginning and also at the end of tonight's meeting. So am I sharing my screen? >> Yes, >> possibly.

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Uh this is what we talked about at our last meeting. We met two weeks ago and we're meeting today the 10th. We're discussing laboret with guests and other fall articles. The question that we'll have to decide by the end of this meeting is does this make sense or do we

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need more meetings? For example, the original plan was to take next week off to meet two weeks from now and wrap things up with the goal of being able to vote on all town fall town meeting articles then. uh if they have

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to slip to the 21 the 31st they could um and otherwise write the comments for the warrant on the 31st. So at the end of tonight I think we'll all want to reconvene and say I mean I I'm mentally putting the fall articles in two categories and everything else

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for those two categories. Are we okay with having just one more meeting uh after this or do we need a meeting in between? And also I'll mention that the uh the chairs of the select board and school committee I regret I didn't reach

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out to them until too late. I wasn't able they aren't able to make it tonight. So that's you know that might be part of the question is how strongly do we feel about we want them to come speak to us in person? If so does that mean we have an extra meeting? Uh you get my drift. We'll we'll come back to

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this calendar at the end of the meeting and see if this is enough or if we're going to need to add one more. So, with that, I will look at the agenda. Karen, I don't believe we have any minutes to approve. Is that correct? >> We do not have any that have been

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circulated. >> Okay. >> And if I could just say one thing, Nick, I um I'm trying to promote you if you could accept it if you'd like to be promoted. Thank you. >> Okay. Uh I will say I'm going to rearrange the

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agenda a bit. We're going to be electing a couple people to serve on various committees tonight. I'd like to put that off until after we talk to our guest regarding Laboreet because we have a guest here from the school building committee and I'd like to get to our guest as soon as possible. I will also

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tell you that for the other articles, I expect to hear possibly from our town administrator remotely around 8:00 PM and our town financial director may be coming in in person around 800 PM. So, um, so that's what the timing looks

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like. We don't need to certainly don't need to rush through the school the labet because we're going to be waiting for the rest of them until 8 PM. So, with all that being said, we have a guest tonight, Sean OR, chair of the school building committee.

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Uh, Sean, I don't know if I need to give you any other introduction or preface or just turn it over to you. >> Uh, nope. I'm good. Thank you, Mr. Chair. I will say I'm I'm I'm I'm sorry I'm being rude. I turned it over to you and then I'm going to jump in. Um I just

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want to I want to set the stage of our discussion. Uh it's it's early in our new term and just sort of remind us all our our goal as a committee is to collect enough information to make an informed recommendation to town meeting uh with topics especially topics as interesting as this. It's very tempting

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to discuss things that just sound interesting to us. Like I'm sure all of us would be tempted to go in depth about the curriculum options and everything they considered and who's going to be dropping off the preschoolers and will be they be dropped off at the same time as kindergarteners. Those are all very interesting things to talk about. I do

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want to remind the committee to sort of focus on we are going to discuss the curriculum a little bit I'm sure but let's focus on what information do we need to get the to get the information to make a recommendation to town meeting for how they should vote on this

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article. um we could I'm certain all sit here one hour each and you know discuss the issue but want to just remind everybody to stay focused and on topic. So with that I will cease interrupting you for at

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least a minute or two Mr. and turn the microphone over to you >> for the record shot of work chair of the school building committee and not a town meeting member precinct 8. Um so uh you know with with tonight I I basically

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have a short presentation that I can kind of walk through. Uh I think the majority of um tonight will be a lot of back and forth with questions and outside of the presentation there's other documents that go up. So you know feel free to ask any question you have

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and I'll do my best to answer it. Uh but if it's okay I'll share the screens. >> I think we can see it. Yes. So what I want to do tonight is uh give an update on the library in relation to I know there are two articles one for

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essentially the purchase of the library site [snorts] that's there and then so school building committee has a separate article in regards to funding for the design of there. Uh but I think the majority of these slides will will walk through um

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the library site what why why we're considering it but also as a part of that I I think a brief update of where we are with MSBA as the overall school building is relevant mainly because there may be other questions associated with that.

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So, you know, to to kind of give uh the the committee an update is, you know, we we got through module one, which was um kind of first hurdle with MSBA. We got through it February of this year. We've been working on essentially forming a

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project team, which is what they call module two. Um we've onboarded PMA consultant as our owners, project manager, who you'll hear referred to as OPM. Now that we have uh PMA consultants on board, we're actually actively

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soliciting a designer and that will come in October with MSBA uh through what they call their designer selection committee panel. Um so once module two is completed hopefully in October, we'll be progressing into essentially a

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feasibility study. And so one thing to keep in mind with MSBA is, you know, we we we were granted in and once we got granted in the output of module one basically created boundaries for that project which are essentially

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design options and those design options they attribute um enrollments to the play into the overall program. So the three options that we're allowed to look at as an addition renovation to Cunningham school uh 1400 students and

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that's like a baseline for an AMSBA project. So, the school you submit on, you need to have an ad reno as one of your options. Um, the only other two options we have for call it new construction would be a new elementary school grades K to 5 uh that would house

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495 students plus preschool or a new middle school grades 7th and 8th uh at 660 students plus preschool. So that's when we talked our current uh pro progress with MSBA, those are the only two options that we're allowed to

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look at. Now those options are allowed to be attributed to different sites. So as everyone's aware, right now the town owns a 6.4 acre along road that we got through the lands and then if the town

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is successful in the purchase of Labor College, we could consider that. Uh but MSVA right now uh does not allow us to consider it until we own it. So we're kind of in a holding pattern with MSVA for that right now. So you know in

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framework at Gal Road you know we have the 6.4 acre site no existing buildings and everything being constructed and we have essentially two options that we can look at as I mentioned the middle school and the elementary school for Laborate College. uh we have 4.7

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acre site. You know, there's existing buildings on it. So, we'd be uh renovating portions of them and do them. And then also, you know, as of right now, we don't know what the acquisition costs for that's going to be. Um looking at the enrollment, the options that we

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have, um anticipation is a middle school probably would not fit on that site, but an elementary [clears throat] school may fit on that site. And that's just very high level using the kind of program that we had at Gal Road and the trip placing it on here.

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So the key thing as we discussed lab array and we layer in talking about MSBA for MSBA the labor college currently only be able to look at two options a middle school and elementary school. There were none empathy applicants that

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were looked at from the school committee that you know there wasions that they've looked through and out of that prek educational program was decided.

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So kind of diving into labor college. So the the facility that's there is made up of three buildings. Building A, which is essentially called the mansion, which is the big, you know, beautiful house at the front of it. Building B, which is attached to building A, uh, shown here

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in yellow, is essentially office space. And then building C, which is in the back [clears throat] of the property, uh, is basically the classroom space. We went toward it in April and, you know, looked at it. the there's existing classrooms that are in there that are

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roughly 725 square feet, but for the proposed program of prek, they need larger rooms uh for the younger children. So, one of the things we we quickly, you know, came to to accept is we'd have to do, you know, a large

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renovation to that. In addition, the campus doesn't have a cafeteria. It doesn't have a gymnasium. uh building C when we looked at that only has minimal bathrooms in it. And then the key thing we want to do or at least that we you know we're working with the architect is you know we want

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to isolate our renovations so we don't trigger a large energy code renovation of the mansion. So the other buildings were pretty comfortable with renovations in there. We wanted to make sure in the options we looked at we created a way to kind of isolate that renovation.

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So the other part that plays in here that everyone has to keep in mind is there were certain roles that came out of this that you know each each committee or board kind of uh played. So the school committee prescribed what that enrollment would look like or what

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that educational program would look like at this site. The school building committee takes that you know that program and you know we went out and hired an architect group, a DLR group. Uh they also worked with a cost estimator and a structural engineer to

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look at the facility to place that educational program into the facility. Give what the layouts would look like and then finally what the cost what the cost estimates would be for those repetitive slide. I apologize repetitive

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slide. Here we go. Sorry about that. So what you see here is essentially a timeline. So, as I mentioned, the school building committee school committee this summer. So, you know, we're joining you guys in your >> Sean. I I I don't know if anybody else

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is hearing this. Your sound is cutting out a little bit. I'm getting almost everything you're saying. Maybe if you could speak a little bit slower. >> Speak a little more into it. How's that? >> Yes, that'll Yes. Thank you. >> Sorry about that.

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Oh, >> nope. That got worse again. It's okay for me. Um, but >> it might be in the room because it's fine online. >> Yeah. >> Okay. Okay. >> Okay. Yeah. Whatever you're doing earlier was better than whatever you're

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doing just now. So, >> I'll try I'll think back. So, sorry about that. Essentially what I what I was showing here is a timeline uh for work of school committee and school building committee over the summer. Uh a

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couple key things to keep on here is uh essentially in July uh 6 um the school building committee, the school district and DLR group met with uh our early uh early childhood education planner and

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the superintendent and we we took the 3K um program and really dove into it with the architects to develop how many rooms they needed, uh professional spaces needed, basically everything that when it goes into the floor plan. Um this is

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essentially called a visioning session. The one thing I caution everybody or just to be aware of is you know a lot of this work was done over the course of essentially two months where a program like this to really get fully baked typically takes about a year but we were

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doing this in order to advise the town as best we can knowing the property is going up for sale fairly quick. So we had to be kind of agile you know in our response that we had there. Um so what we looked at were three options and I'll

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I'll explain them. The first one you can call it is a base option that we looked at very minimal additions onto the building and what could we get out of the building for essentially what it exists today. And essentially what we looked at was an educational program

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that would provide some prek spaces, four of them total. Let me just move the roster so I can read this again. And two special ed spaces uh for general uh for kindergarten there were 10 spaces and one special ed which

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didn't meet the programmatic uh requirements that we had out of that visioning session. So we we went to the next step uh which is essentially a two-level addition. And with this two-level addition, we hit the classroom counts um that we that we were

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prescribed or asked for by the district. And then finally, what we did is said, you know, because we have a two-level addition attaching to a three-level structure, what would a three-level structure look like? And this became, you know, essentially what we put out

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there as option three. And option three, we believe provides more future proofing for this site. So that you know as we you know construct this uh it would allow what is currently half day preschool to go to full day preschool

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which was attractive to some people um and then you know hit all our other spaces along with some uh additional capacity. So the big parts of these that kind of I know everyone's interested in is essentially costs. So looking at option

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one which was the kind of baseline one overall project cost for it was approximately $42 million. Uh option two which basically hits the program that the district was looking at was about $74 million and option three

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was uh which was the you know future buildout the future proofing buildout of this uh was approximately $85 million. Uh and again I have more detailed uh floor plans uh other things cost estimates if people want to dive into

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those but you know for to keep the meeting short to keep the presentation short that's my last slide. >> Thank you. While we're lingering on slides can you go to the previous one just so that can of hover in front of

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us. Thank you. So I'll ask my first question. So this the costs shown here do not include acquisition costs. >> Uh it does not. So anything to do with the acquisition of the property is not

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the school building committee's role. Uh the select board is the one negotiating uh for that right now. So you know anything you see here are just base project cost. There's no acquisition cost associated with it.

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>> Thank you. All right. Um, I know that we have a is the term subcommittee is the term not subcommittee. I know we have experts being Elaine, Nick, and Nikki who've looked into this already. Uh, would any of you like to start off with

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some of the things you've looked into, discussed? >> Um, if I could, I'll start. the school committee I know five years ago or so um originally considered uh I don't know if you can answer this

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question Sean because I would have asked it of somebody on the school committee but um if you can't then I'll just ask it at the next meeting. Um, I know that the original plan that got a lot of push back from the neighborhood was to put a prek

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building at the high school. That was at least five years ago. And then the switch was made um believing that a middle school on Guile Road would be preferable. I'd just like to hear why we're back to

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a prekk. is because of the space issues at Labberet. >> So yeah, I'll do my best to respond to the timeline. So I believe that the early childhood education center that you're referencing came out of the um

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was it DRRA study that was done in 2018 by the it was commissioned by the school committee as a space needs one. Um and in that they they presented certain options and at that time uh 3K was considered and that was actually before

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the school building committee. Um so I I think at least I've been on school building committee since the beginning. Our initial efforts was not an early childhood education center but it was elementary school K to five and then as

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we progressed through I think it was the first three or four years for school building committee we saw a migration of the overcrowding getting up to the middle school and you know we actually have a video on it that we put together a long time ago and at that time that's

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where we made that transition to the middle school um reverting you know back to a prekk solution right now I think is coming up mainly due to the site that we're looking at and what would be the best educational program

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for that site I don't think would fit there and I only say that the G road company like I said is about 6.8 8 acres. We were having a tough time fitting the middle school on that before even successful

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to fit that on Ray's property of 4.7 acres. We just don't think it would have been possible. Uh so we're trying to look at the building for currently what it is and how we would best financially put some program over there and KK was I

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believe the one that was it's it was prescribed by the school committee um that they felt it would be the best one for it. >> I see. So, it doesn't address that migration to the middle school that was

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addressed by the land swap acquisition. >> Yeah, correct. So, I I I think, you know, one of the things everyone's trying to do with this is compare and contrast, you know, a labor project to G road. And you even even the superintendent acknowledged it the other

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night at the um at select board of you know it doesn't address the middle schools. So I think what would be helpful you know if people are really trying to look at the two of these and compare them is you know we have a project at labor that obviously would be less expensive than the project at Gal

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Road doesn't address everything. Um, and potentially, you know, I if the overcrowding persists at the middle school, it may require a future project at the middle school that would then cost additional money. I don't know what that would be. We didn't study that, but

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you know, if you're trying to really get an even balance or a comparison against both of them, um, just acknowledging there'll be a future project at some point school. >> Okay, I have one last question then I'll um, let somebody else have a turn.

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when these buildings that are in place now, well, all the schools, um, when they were built, we went through the MSBA and they would not allow the schools to be built for more than the number of students that was currently in

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place. If we go with the MSBA again, like start the timeline over and try to get the lab array thing on that timeline, is the MSBA still going to prevent us from taking option number three, which

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would be looking toward the future and trying to address what happened last time, which is the future overcrowding. >> Question. It sounds like you've gone through an SBA process before. So the um Yeah. So

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what happens right now is that's why I gave the presentation uh under the lens of what so right now the preschool K option would not be covered under MSVA.

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the town can re-engage with MSBA and essentially the the process would be we would go back to module one. Yeah, module one and restart that and a new enrollment analysis would be done 3K

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that enrollment analysis would align with some new option. It probably wouldn't be option two or option three. And then if we decided to build out more than what that would be, the MSBA would not reimburse for that. And that would

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be the diluted historic cost that would pull down effective reimbursement. And if that's too confusing, I can try to simplify it a little. >> No, I understand what you're saying. Thank you very much. Uh, I'd look at Nick and Nikki since

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you're two of the other people that have been looking at this recently. >> I'm happy to jump in. Um, um, thank you so much, Sean, because I know this has been a long time for you working on all these projects. Um, I have effectively similar concerns, but I guess for me,

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when I look at the old plan, which I was able to find online, it effectively said new middle school with preK attached, 660 students. Um, this is the land adjacent to MHS on Guile Road. And then Pierwood House, grades five and six, and

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some district-wide offices. So, to me, I know that was the plan that was pre-loet. I think this was the plan that people were pretty happy about. you figured out a way to fit the new middle school, it would have some prek. Now, I'm not sure if it's the same amount of pre-k as we're looking at now. So, that's one of

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my questions. Um, and then Pierce moving to grades five and six and moving offices seems that it would solve overcrowding in all three, you know, genres of schools. So, elementary, middle, and high school. So, I guess my two questions are one, does that old

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plan give us enough room for prek? And two, um, and two, I guess if so, then, um, is the L beret more of a shiny object. We see a new building and we want to buy it. And I don't mean to be

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dismissive or, um, not kind, but it it feels a little like we've got this nice plan going. Yes, it might cost more, but it doesn't address the overcrowding at the middle school, which perhaps isn't an issue anymore. and I'm not exactly sure um if it fully addresses the prek.

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So any insight you have on that would be amazing. >> Yes. So the old plan the intention is that the same students prek that we have today. >> Sean I'm sorry we're really not able to hear you in the room.

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>> Okay. There's some background noise going on. I'm not sure if someone's muted. >> Okay. So, um, the old program or or or the middle school preschool can depend on it. The new existing preschool looks like and that

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would not be full day preschool that I was discussing here. Um but what we tried to do or one of the reasons at that project we took preschool essentially out of the building and made a separate structure for it was that at some point hopefully in the future we

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could expand on that building and build out full day preschool. So that was the reasoning way back when that project was preschool and a middle school all integrated under one roof and then we separated them hoping preschool would have some some

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way to expand in the future. Um the the second question in regards to you know the the the appeal of labor um you know for for for our end you know it's not up to school

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building committee you know we're tasked essentially our charge is to solve overcrowding in the town and if the town is successful on buying this you know that for me I I've I've since Day one when this has come up

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indicated school building committee's role on this is advisory only. So our job is to present options the overall decision of what goes in there um I I believe would lay with school committee and you know with the select board so when they do join you know a future

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meeting I you know that would probably be a better question for them to answer. >> Okay great. So um if if the prior plan was to be enacted there still is some concern that there wouldn't be enough

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space for prek but the new the but lava array option three would be enough would be enough space for prek. So that is a interesting trade-off. >> Well yeah just clarification so there is under the gal road option there is enough room for half day preschool.

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>> Okay. >> Yeah. So all the every every the enrollment that we have in preschool would be there. it would not be able to under agree

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and you could expand it in the future as a great and Sean I think you've been awesome in going through all the questions and the facts and everything but I guess and this is all I think inherently important for the potential things that are going to be on the

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upcoming uh special town meeting. But I think the two things that are actually on the town meeting warrant, one are should we buy the lab property and we still haven't seen a number on that yet, right? At a an actual cost estimate and then the

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other question is uh allocating funds for designing that property. Should we do it? Right. Um, so I guess to me there are three things and I'm not sure you know the answer to those questions is one is um is economically

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uh is library less expensive than the project in Guile Road? Seems like it probably is depending upon how much it costs to acquire that land. The second thing is does the school committee think this is a solution that they find attractive? I haven't heard that one way

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or another. And then the third thing is uh what's the fallback plan? Let's say we buy it and for whatever reason we decide not to build the school there. What's Milton's exit plan with regards to that property? And I haven't heard anything about that either. And I'm not sure you're in a position to answer

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those three questions, but to me, those are the the three things that are really important. uh they're wrapped up in what we're going to have to approve at town meeting or recommend and then town meeting to vote on but they're they're kind of the next step after all this happens.

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>> Yeah. You know, I mean I have similar questions. Uh so I I I I'm not in the position to answer those, but I think you know the representatives of select board and school committee when they do they do come on will be able to at least

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elaborate on them more than me. Great. I appreciate that. Thank you very much. >> So Sean, I have a question. I think I think I I think you and I have talked about this, but I want to be sure if I remember it. So the MSBA process, we're

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currently not in the process for a prekk is the issue. I'm rephrasing what I think I heard you say to me previously, which is we could do that process. We are not in D.

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I would phrase it as what I thought I heard I sorry what I thought I heard was we could do that process with a preKK. They would probably allow us to look at the preKK, but it would set us back in time. So the risk there would be that it

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would be slower but not much of a risk that they would say nope sorry this isn't an option you can consider an MSBA. Did I summarize that correctly Sean? >> Correct. So yeah, we're under an MSBA project right now and we're we were

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advised by MSBA as we graduated out of module one that you know and at the time when we graduated out of module one lab such an option we we basically confirmed that options I presented only

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this we're not the first one to have this happen before of something new come up but What they warned us is it would create a delay because now we would have to go back to the beginning option, restart and do the enrollment analysises again and then basically get to where we

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were. And just as a timeline, you know, that module one when we worked on this last year, we got everything done. We had a 270day window uh to complete everything. We completed it in 90 days. it still took us close to

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270 days to to get there. Um, you know, MSVA is uh they probably don't move as quickly as I would like. Uh, and if we had to restart again, I don't think they would be um, you know, in any rush to

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help us move along faster even. >> Understood. So it would be a delay, but we're as we're reasonably sure that yes, we're in the program. Yes, we can look at this option to the program and that would reimburse us. Are we still talking

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45% of allowed costs? Is that the right way to say it or >> Yeah. So, so they they they had indicated to us that 45% of eligible costs would be reimbursed. the through our work previously with our OPM

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um there's essentially a calculated average that would dilute that 45% down to an effective rate of 28%. >> You cut out at just the perfect time >> 28% >> 28

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>> Yep. to put but to put numbers on that if I think I heard your conversation at other meetings in the past. The middle school project as is currently considered after the reimbursement is going to cost Milton approximately $130 million. This project even for option

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three is 85 million plus land acquisition costs. So, it seems like you could do better with the MSBA, which might, you know, maybe offset with extra time and maybe get some inflation costs in there or whatever. But from a dollars and cents perspective to Milton, if the

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school committee says, "Yes, we are enthusiastic about this plan, then it seems like it's a pretty clear savings to Milton." >> Yeah. So, the the one caveat to that is that's dollartodoll comparison.

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educational program to educational program. You'd still have to assume there's some future middle school project that would have to be done and middle school would have would be 85 million plus acquisition cost you know

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whatever that delta is you'd have to assume that project would be less than that. Uh and that's just you know when you're truly trying to compare you know apples to apples comparison. No, that's a great point. And I think I also heard you talk about the fact that there could be some additional reconfiguration costs

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of the middle elementary school buildings. When you take the kindergartens out there to make those classrooms a little bit more appropriate for other elementary school students, there might be some additional reconfiguration costs there also. >> Yeah. Our our our take on the

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reconfiguration cost is what option you know if it's a lab prek middle school it's going to be you know absorb fun comes for one of those that are there for us we we we acknowledge them but we don't really think it's a differentiator

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>> thank you >> okay I'll open up to the floor Cecil Oh, >> yeah. I just had a logistics question. I think last year in the fall special town meeting, we voted to extend the like I think the deadline out by five years because of um I guess the process taking

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longer. Will we need to vote to move that out likely? If you have to go with >> No. So the what you're referring to is the extension to the land that is good to announce that actually

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made its way through as Pamis the governor signed it so it has extended it to 2033. Um there's no intention right now. For example, if the town was successful on Laboreet and we pivoted to do this program at Labberet, we probably would

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not be doing obviously a second construction project at G Road. looking around the floor literally and virtually. >> I would just say it's incredibly impressive how much the school building committee working with the architects

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and stuff like that seem to have gotten done and the school committee in such a short period of time. >> So, I'll ask the committee. I think Nick did a very good job of boiling down three questions that we need answers to that um that we don't have answers to.

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One, and I'll I'll admit this, you know, I I'm the chair. I should be on top of these things. I don't know when we're going to arrive on a price for the property, presumably before the warrant goes to print. Uh but yeah, that that's

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going to be pretty key for us knowing that before we have have a vote. but also questions about uh you know what else we do with the land and about uh what about the programming. So, and I apologize for some of you who joined late. We don't have members of the select board and the school

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committee joining us. I reached out to them later than I should have and they weren't able to make it tonight. I'm going to see. Um I know I think the chair of the chair of the select board I believe said he could meet us two weeks from now, but I think I'll reach out to

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both the chairs of both boards and see when they can meet us. Again, for those of you who joined us late, we're going to have to discuss do we meet next week or do we go on our two-eek cycle? Uh see when they can meet us. Even if it's not on a Monday, I'm gonna take it upon myself to say, you

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know, we really want to meet with the chair of the select board of the school committee. Even if it's not on a Monday, we'll see when when they're available and I'll line them up. >> So, can I ask a question? >> Yes. Go ahead. >> What is prek exactly for purposes of all of this?

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>> Sean, are you able to answer that? Uh I think as best I can as a parent really as you know the ages can't recall the exact ages. I just know it's before kindergarten. Sorry.

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>> But is it do you know is it two years you would go two years before kindergarten or is it really just that one year before you're enrolled into the kindergarten? I I think it's two years and potentially like know with my daughter she actually had three because she had

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an IEP preschool. I just know this specifically that if a child is uh has an IEP at that age. Uh they were trying to take them I believe at the age of age six or something like that. I don't remember exactly. Um, you

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know, the preschool isn't um universal for everybody in the town. I believe there's there's a lottery for certain kids and then kids with IEP iss we had a hard time in the room hearing you again. Did we get the Did we get the gist? >> Yeah, I think I got the

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>> Okay, thank you. One other thing, and this is sort of straying off my rule of sticking on topic, but I think in the past when people have asked why do we have a prek, our answer has been we're offering the bare minimum of the kids who need it

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because they're special needs and then you have to have sort of I'll say non-special need kids in there because of the way it's set up. Um, so we've been doing I'll say the bare minimum. Now then there's the question of will we be doing more than the bare minimum? Again, I'm breaking my own rule of sort

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of getting off topic, but that'll be something that people want to discuss with the school committee more so than than with you. So, we haven't wrapped up this topic. Obviously, we've got I mean, at the very least, how much is this property going to cost? Along with a few other

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questions for the school committee and the select board. Um but from Mr. Oorc from the school building committee you know and I know it's difficult it's difficult for me it's difficult for all of us to realize this committee's job is

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this and this committee's job is that but to the extent that we understand this is the school building committee's job we have more questions regarding the school building committee after tonight which you know they can be asked our

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experts can ask Mr. or we can ask by email. Obviously, it's not the end of the road, but do we think we have more questions from a school building committee point of view? >> I guess I have two two questions. Um, one is I know that they've come up with the estimates and the designs in a very

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compressed time frame. Um, how how accurate do they think they are if they move forward? And two, what kind of inflation do they think the projects could incur if they're go into the MSBA

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program and that takes us another, you know, 12 months or 18 months to get approved and, you know, you're 12 to 18 months further out than you are right this second? >> Yeah. Uh, so good question. Um the the you know with like I mentioned the work

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that we were doing was a compressed schedule of a month. Um you know we had one meeting with the district kind of go over everything. Um I think the program would need to get further refined to really get spec we

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you know the the the specific floor plans we have of layouts of where rooms are where professional staff rooms are. we haven't been able to go back with the district and sit down with them to kind of walk through all that. It was basically a first pass. Um so much when

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we looked at this the design or the construction contingency that the estimator carried was roughly 15%. And I asked to increase that to 20%. Mainly just due that we had a very minimal design. Um, so you know, for me, I I

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would look at these as lower-end costs, and I I hesitate saying that, but it's just, you know, the reality being designing construction that I don't want people to hang their hats on a number that was developed in a essentially a two-week design period and a oneweek

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review period. Um, you know, when you're talking about an 84 million5 million project, um, I I just get cautious that things may have been missed in that time and then, you know, additional things may come out. So, and I'm not trying to

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say that to u play up what I think the higher cost would be. It's just um, you know, my design experience, anything that's been done under a month is is very schematic. >> Well, that's great. So, so process-wise, I guess this is a question for everybody. I think process-wise, so we

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have these two articles um before upcoming before town meeting, let's say the town meeting decides to try to purchase Labber and incur the design costs with the architects. So, that would have to require an override vote

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by the town, which would happen later in the fall. And then the architect would go and do the, you know, more uh detailed analysis and design work. And that would come hopefully before the town meeting again in 2027. And that

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would require another override for the construction costs. Is that what we're kind of thinking, right? Yeah. >> Yeah. Correct. And just just to kind of think of it, you know, college purchase and

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funding. Um we're trying to do is again be reactive to this as quickly as possible. So for designer funding, we have currently 1.5 million appropriated to school building committee for what

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I'll call our MSBA process or our claim that we're doing there. if it's decided to purchase labor, not go back to MSBA and just go on a faster path to address this thing. Um, that is the reason we're we're proposing that other angle to

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provide a separate funding lane. They're both individual. They are not we're not going to do both projects or spend both funds. We'd only draw down on one or the other. Uh, depending on which way this goes. And we only wanted to put that there so that if the decisions are

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there, we want to go quickly and efficiently on this that we didn't have to wait for a future town meeting to allocate that funding. And then broadly speaking, this might be more for Jay, right? So if there's two potential override votes for the town on on just this one project, then there's

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still the fire station override and potentially an operating override in the ne, you know, next couple years. So that's a that's a lot of asking to people, but you know, it is what it is, right? Just just important, I think, for us all to kind of be aware of it.

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>> Yeah. C can I get Sean to clarify what you said? So, article 7, which is $1.2 million for uh architecture, etc., we would use that if we don't go the MSBA route. And if we do go the MSBA

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route, we would then then what money I'm a little confused. >> Do we use previously allocated money? >> Previously approved money. >> Yep. So the 1.5 million that was previously approved, >> currently operating with with the MSBA

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kind of lane that we're operating in, >> that is there. We're utilizing that right now to fund our existing owners per >> Okay. the additional funding. What this article is doing is setting up a separate funding source outside of MSVA

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that if we were to purchase lab and be successful, essentially the next decision point if we're successful there from school committee and select board is do we stay with MSBA and restart the program or do we just go on our own on a faster pace

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and complete this project and move on? Mhm. >> If we go on our own, we can't use the funding that's allocated for MSBA designers. We have to have separate funding for it and that's the reason for that. >> Thank you. Thank you. That'll be important to make clear to town meeting

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that we're we approved $1.5 million what last year. We're approving $1.2 million this year. We're going to use one or the other, but not both. Thank you for making that clear to me. and it'll be on me as well as others to make it fair to time

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meeting. Thank you. >> Sorry. So, has the 1.5 been drawn down yet for the MSBA any portion of it? >> I would say a very small portion for the initial efforts that we have the OPM working on. I'm talking

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>> Okay. >> Yeah. Nothing close to even the high number that's there. And we're we're being cognizant of you know I mean with with these is everything with school building committee working in parallel things. I

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think this is like our first time on this effort. We we've been looking at two different options for you know our overall triage. So I think I think we're pretty well at this point. >> Okay. Do we have other questions from

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Mr. Oor from a school building committee point of view? >> I just want to thank you Sean. Um, other people said this, but you've been doing this a long time. Really appreciate your efforts and sorry you were the lone person here to get the grilling from all

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of us. >> Happy to jump on. You know, I mean, I know this is a is a very big decision for everybody in the town and you know, I mean, we're, as I said from the beginning, We have a long history, our whole committee. Um, you know, there's five

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appointed members of us that have been on the entire time. Uh, one other appointed member from select board that we do and then the others that have come in as elections change. Um, but you know, Mr. Chair, as you as you have the other members of school committee and

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select board, I'm happy to come back and join them just in case other things may come up. So, feel free to just let me know when that date is. We'll try to min minimize our demands on you, Mr. Hor. Thank you. Thank you for the offer. >> Thank you. >> Okay.

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Uh do we want to discuss among ourselves? I mean, we should talk either, as I said, we'll be talking at the end of the meeting. When are we going to meet next? What more do we need? Uh should we have putting that aside, should we talk among

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our is there more discussion among ourselves now or do we want to wait till we speak to more guests >> from the school committee and the select board myself, you know. >> Yep. Yep. >> A lot of information here. >> Yep. And that's uh that's certainly not on them. It's on me. I reached out to

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them too late, but I will be coordinating with them when they can meet with us. Uh, if that's that for this week, I'd like to move to other items on the agenda. We have two committees in town that have representation from the

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warrant committee on them. There's the I'll call it the capital committee. I'm getting the name wrong, but for all intents and purposes, it's the capital committee. We have one representative to that capital committee. Uh, this past year, our representative was the rain.

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And so let's elect a representative for this year. Uh Elaine, >> I'd like to nominate Lorraine D as the representative from the warrant committee for the capital improvement planning committee, which is the title

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you were looking for. >> Thank you. Lorraine, are you willing to >> Sure. Yes. >> Okay. Lorraine, can you speak a bit? As I said, you served on this last year. Can you say a bit more about I know you've been on it for more than just the previous year. >> Yeah, I've been on it in the past as a

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citizen also um and I think twice as a warrant committee, but here's where the projects come up that are capital improvement and um it talks about free cash and bonding and what

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allocations should go to those projects in which year should those projects um come up. And so usually there's a whole list of a couple of pages and deciding on is it this year and next year and it's always what's put to the town in

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the um warrant. There's always a lot more projects but you can only do so much in a year with free cash and how much you're going to bond. You don't want to bond over bond. Um, and so it's spelled out over a couple of years and um, because there are people who put in

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projects saying we're not going to need this for a year or two years, but they're holding their place because of how things are spread out. Um, and there's representation from multiple people and we make suggestions and it

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gets put forward as comments in in the warrant. Can you comes back to the the select board and then it comes back to the warrant committee >> your previous to so how many years in total were you on this committee and when >> this year I mean this past year and then

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I was on um probably another year as a citizen but it was a couple of years and then I think the first time I may have been on it is when I was first on the warrant committee which was back with Katie Conlin was the you know person.

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>> Okay. >> Yeah. >> So I I mean I find it very interesting and and looking at the bigger projects and over long term. >> So >> So we've had a nomination. I'm not sure if I heard a second. >> Second.

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>> Okay. You've heard a second. Um it it can be competitive. Is there other nominations or discussion of other candidates or If not, then we will vote on the one candidate we have in front of us.

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Hearing none, we have a motion and a second for Lorraine D to be our representative. Karen, can you call roll please? >> Uh, yes. >> Can I call? >> Yes. >> Yes. Yes. Sure. [laughter]

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>> I didn't know I could vote by myself. >> Yes. >> Lita. >> Yes. >> Who? >> I didn't hear that one. >> Lindsay. Oh, yes. >> Lindsay. >> Yes. >> Uh Ron. Okay. Ron. >> Yes.

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>> Jimmy. Yes. >> Nick. >> Yes. >> Cecile. >> Yes. >> And Jay, >> I'll vote yes. >> Okay. The other >> the other position. Thank you for your

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service Lorraine. >> The other positions to fill are the two positions on the joint [clears throat] budget committee. This is a new committee last year. Um I would say it largely is regarding um coordination between the major committees, school committee, select

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board, warrant committee. We have a representative from the planning board. Making sure everybody knows what's going on. It didn't have a hundred su success rate last year, but it was better than not having it. Um and also you know to the extent that if elbows are getting

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thrown a little bit you know sticking up for the uh the prerogatives of the warrant committee that you know we are not a rubber stamp we are a part of the process just like the rest of the committees are. Uh last year it was Brian who is not on here anymore and it

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was Brian and me. uh I would prefer not to serve on it again just because I'm going to be involved in these discussions as the chair in some sense and if I have two others of you involved in these discussions also the more the marrier. So I'm opening up the floor to

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self-nominations or peer nominations to anyone who would be willing to serve on the joint budget committee. I'm interested in participating on that committee. >> I'm also interested in in participating in that committee.

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>> Okay, that was uh Jimmy and Nick that we heard from. >> Yes. >> Okay, we've got two volunteers. I I won't say suckers, I'll say volunteers. Uh is there anyone else who has an

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interest in this? Excellent. Uh, I will Can someone officially make the motion for Jim? Okay Elaine. >> Um, I'd like to nominate Nick and Jimmy um to be our representatives on the joint budget committee. >> Joint budget committee.

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>> Great. >> And he seconds it. Okay. Uh Karen, can you roll call, please? >> Yes. Paul, >> I I didn't hear that.

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>> Sorry. Yes. >> Yes. >> Lorine. >> Yes. >> Larry, >> yes. >> Lindsay, >> yes. >> Ron, >> yes.

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>> Jimmy, >> yes. >> Yes. >> Cecile. Yes. >> And Jay, >> yes. Excellent, >> thank both of you for uh for stepping

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forward. So, now we are at exactly 8:00 PM. I couldn't have done it more perfect. Other fall town meeting articles. I'm not sure if uh our town administrator has joined us. Um >> I believe he has just joined.

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>> Oh, okay. and our town finance director I think may be showing up in person soon but is not here yet. We think Mr. Milano has joined us. >> Well, >> yes. Good evening. How are you?

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>> Oh, hello. Uh we're just about to start talking about all the articles that are not related to Laboreet. >> Um Grace, >> so we'll begin at the beginning. >> [clears throat] >> I hope you all got the draft article,

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the draft warrant that was sent around uh within the past week, the first article. So, and I know some of these, you know, all these have experts assigned to them and I totally understand some people have not had time to look into it and that is completely

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understandable. So, when I sort of poke at you and say, "What's going on with this?" We're not going to shame you if you say, "I still need to do more work on it." Let's sort of go through them one by one. Article one is uh changing the

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appropriations for fiscal year 27. So I believe I asked uh an Andrew and uh Andrew and Jimmy to look into this. Andrew or Jimmy, would either of you like to speak to this or should we ask Mr. Milano to give us an overview?

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>> An overview wouldn't hurt. Uh but I do have some questions for sure. >> Okay. Mr. Mr. Milano, can you say a little bit about what this article is? >> I included in the warrants a draft comment um that gives a very kind of high level overview, but um every year

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we set the reserve fund um that is part of the operating budget for that fiscal year. Um, this money can only be transferred out with a vote of the warrant committee and can is supposed to be used for extraordinary or unanticipated expenses. So, it's a nice

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um set aside of money that we're able to access at year end to address typically at year end I should say to address um unexpected expenses that occur throughout the year. Um recent examples include snow and ice and other

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overspends in certain budgets for um essentially one-time overspends. Um why we have this article for the falltown meeting is because through the state budget process, the House of Representatives and the state senate significantly increased the amount of

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money that was going to state aid from what the town's budget relied upon when we set our budget for town meeting uh which was the governor's budget which was released in January. Um so the house budget comes out in April, the senate budget comes out in May and then the final state budget typically approved at

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the end of June, early July. So once the final state budget was set, cities and towns across Massachusetts, including Milton, benefited from that infusion of additional money into state aid. Um so what we proposed to do is to appropriate those funds, but for fiscal 27 to put

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those into the reserve fund rather than paying any um additional new expenses or recurring expenses, but set it aside in the reserve fund to be used if necessary. If not, the funds would go unspent and close out at the year end to be part of next year's um budget

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surplus. So, uh that's what we propose to do here. Again, just take the additional state aid that was included in the state budget uh put it into the reserve fund for fiscal 27. >> Thank you. I guess my my question is, you know, uh

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are there any anticipated um departments that require it now or is it is it are is every department okay at the moment uh and not needing any additional funds?

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>> I mean, correct. It's, you know, we're lucky it's the first month of the fiscal year that at this rate, you know, everybody should be on budget. Uh there's nothing that's come up that's been um immediately critical. Uh as you know, the committee was discussing earlier this evening. There's a

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potential acquisition of Library College. If that goes through, there's certainly some additional added operating expenses for the balance of this year that aren't included in the fiscal 27 budget in any way. Um otherwise if we have another heavy winter like we just had you know think you think about snow and ice if

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mechanical equip equipment were to be bro break down need to be replaced that we can't wait um for the next capital round then that's a potential use of this money. Um so it's there to be used um if necessary. There's nothing necessarily at this time that we have

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earmarked these funds for. >> Okay. And then as the year progresses um what do you do if additional funds are required by each department? Is it easily transferable or does that require

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a vote? So, uh, generally what we do is we're able to absorb, um, anything that happens throughout the year within departmental budgets for the most part and then we will address any deficits at year end, but we'll we

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usually have a decent line of sight um, as we make our way through the fiscal year. Um, but yes, the funds would need to be approved to be transferred out of this fund by by the warrant committee. So, there's we would have to come back. Um the most recent example of kind of being out of cycle was a couple years

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ago and and the chair sometimes talks about this is uh we had a um a wood shipper that that crashed and and our operating expense to rely on private um companies to do that would have been significant. So we came to the warrant committee I think in like November or December to request that funding. Uh but

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generally we wait till the end of the year but it does require an approval a vote from this committee uh to transfer money out. >> Okay. And then what was the how did you arrive at the 363 469 figure? It's 121%

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more than last year. What was how did you arrive at that? That's not um any kind of number I came up with. It's it's the delta between what we used for our state aid aotment and when we set the budget and what

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actual state aid is going to be. So, um, that 363 represents the difference between what we included in the budget when we built it in the spring, um, versus what was actually approved by the state. >> Okay, >> I have no additional questions. Thank

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you. So Nick, I have a question and you you might be able to read my mind, but if we have an extra $363,000 to me, the two obvious places it could go are here or the budget stabilization fund which then or sorry the override

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stabilization fund which then can you know help us get a little bit you know a tiny bit but a tiny bit farther to the next override make the little next override a tiny bit less painful. Uh you and this How do I How do I Is this your

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recommendation that it goes in this account? What was your thinking for recommending that it go as opposed to the override stabilization fund? >> Well, we talked about that, but I in my view and and what the select board ultimately voted when they submitted the article was to put it into this fund. It

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it gives us a little bit of flexibility if necessary in this fiscal year. Certainly, it's it's preferable that we don't have to spend it, in which case it would close out to to future year um budget surplus and translate into free cash in a future year. Uh so, um it's

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pretty similar in that respect. It's it's obviously, as you know, a little bit easier to use these funds because it it would only require a vote of the warrant committee rather than if it were to go into a stabilization fund, require a vote of town meeting to take out. Um and then just based on our experience

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with this past winter, we were certainly lucky within this fiscal year to be able to absorb um a very significant deficit in our snow and ice, but um that's not going to be the case in all budget years. So um you know, just just having a little bit more money set aside here

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we felt was prudent. Um but ultimately they accomplish I would say very similar goals. Um >> I I think I'd agree. My I guess my concern is if we don't use this here then it closes to free cash which people

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view as one-time money and people are understandably very nervous about let's say this is free cash I can't even do the math one two years from now people are then very nervous about using that free cash for ongoing expenses whereas if it's in the override stabilization

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fund tomato tomato possibly um I I don't know I don't know if that there's a question in there. >> I think you're expressing the same

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internal conversation that we had and then ultimately where you landed was that a recommendation just to put into the reserve fund for this year was was logical and um like I said ideally we don't touch it and then it still builds into those reserves but um if if we need it it's it's going to be because we need

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it for a reason. >> Okay. And so again, this is adjusting the FY27 budget. We are currently into FY27. We approved the FY27 budget last May's town meeting. This is adjusting it. Um

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I'm, you know, people on on Zoom can feel free to take themselves off mute. I'm looking around. Are there questions? And if not, then my question to the committee would be, are we comfortable voting on this recommendation tonight?

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>> I am. >> I'm seeing nods from people in the room. >> The floor is open to a motion. >> It would >> I would I would just wait for maybe Andrew if he has any, you know, if he

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wants to opine on this, but um but I'm ready to go. Understood. Um, understood. I I have mixed feelings. I certainly uh, you know, I asked Andrew to look into this. He's not here tonight. On the

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other hand, a quorum of the warrant committee is a quorum of the warrant committee, we can do business. Uh, I have faith that if this body acts tonight and if Andrew wants to look into it, wants to raise issues, that this body would listen to

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Andrew and, you know, consider changing our actions. So, I hear what you're saying, but I also, you know, we have a quorum tonight. So process-wise, if we vote today and then if Andrew comes back with

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additional findings, what is the process like to amend our >> It's a little messy. If we have to undo something we did, then somebody makes a motion to undo what we did. We vote to undo what we did and then we vote for the new thing. I mean, that that's that's my job. That's why I get paid the

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big bucks because I I shepherd it here. >> Doesn't sound too bad. >> My only concern, that's all. >> Thank you for speaking. Are there concerns that there will not be a quorum at the next meeting? >> I don't have that concern. Uh my concern

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is just sort of watching the clock. You know, we've got one or two more meetings to take care of all these uh you know, sever several of these things I know we won't get done tonight because they just came up. So, if I can cross if we if we can in good faith

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cross something off the list tonight, I'd like to, but I'm not going to twist anybody's arm. Does does that answer your question? >> To directly answer your question, no, I'm not worried about a quorum at the next meeting. I just, you know, save 10

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minutes off our next meeting. >> Was there a motion? >> I'm just trying to word the motion in my head. Um, I'd like to make a motion that the war committee recommend approval of article one. Is that how to do it?

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>> Sure. You know, as printed in the draft warrant >> in the draft warrant >> sent around the past week. I think that's perfectly fine. You can also say to adjust the reserve fund allocation by 363469. >> Okay.

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>> If you so choose. >> That's what I just said. [clears throat] Second. >> Okay, we have a motion and a second. Uh, we have a motion in a second. Now, there is time for discussion if discussion is needed. Seeing none, Karen, can you take roll

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call for the first article approval of this new warrant committee? >> Yes. >> Yes. Lorraine, >> yes. >> Larry, >> yes.

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>> Lindsay, >> yes. >> Roman, >> yes. >> Jimmy, >> yes. >> Nick, >> yes. >> Cecile, >> yes. >> Kay, >> abstain.

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>> Motion carries. >> Thank you very much. [clears throat] Okay, the next two I believe I am looking at Lorraine. Lorraine, would you like to speak to article two >> andor would you like to tap Mr. Milano

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to introduce article two? >> Uh is article two the bonds? >> Uh article two is the is the fire engine? Yes. >> Article 2's bond. >> Yeah. >> Y if he wants to speak about it he can.

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It's pretty straightforward. Is he still on? >> Are you asking Mr. Mullen to speak about it? >> I mean I if he has if he wants to I can just speak about it and then he can add stuff to it. How's that? >> Okay. Okay. >> Because this one is pretty straightforward here. Um it's it's

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authorizing the transfer of surplus bond money >> which is if there's money left over from previous projects that were approved but the money wasn't completely needed to complete that project. So, the two of

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them that have come up is um the DPW locker room and cemetery garage had a surplus of 350,000 and then there was the Pine Street Brook flood control dam um at 75,000.

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Um if it if the surplus is less than 50,000, the select board kind of decides where where it goes. I guess over 50,000 it has to go to the town meeting members to vote on it. So what was suggested is

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that um back in I don't know 25 um the town meeting approved fire engine 2 to be replaced at a cost of $1.1 million and

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that was going to be delivered in the winter of 26. What's being um asked here is that they take the combined 350,000 and 74,000 which totals $424,000.

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Use that surplus towards the engine replacement which is going to cost it would have cost 1.1 million if we put the 424,000 to that. then we would only have to bond

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um we would only have the reducing the cost we would only borrow $675,97898. So basically there's money, there's a surplus. The projects it was being used for were completed. This money is extra.

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The suggestion is instead of um borrowing 1.1 million, we take the surplus of the um 424,000 and put it towards the fire truck and therefore we're left with less money to

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borrow for the fire truck. That was good. >> I had a long day. I'm [laughter] sorry. >> That's kind of And I don't know if Nick wants to say something else about that. >> Oh, thank you. You covered it. And just a little color on why we chose that

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capital um purchase. We are required to um put the surplus proceeds to something that has an equal or longer useful life. So, the fire truck have a had a 20 year useful life. Um, we're able to transfer that money

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>> from these bonds that were issued for 20 years and 15 years to to a fire truck, which we could issue bonds for up to 20 years for. So, that's that's why we chose this piece of capital equipment. And as um as she noted, it's already been previously approved. So, this isn't an additional fire truck. This is

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something that was already approved by the town meeting. We're just offsetting the future borrowing cost of it. >> But it is to replace one, right? So we won't have an extra not an extra >> Y placement of the engine that's operating out of the East Melton station currently.

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>> Okay. >> Any discussion? >> I just want to say this seems like a no-brainer to me. We could, of course, I'm open to discussion, but this is about saving the town from having to bond additional costs. So,

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>> were there other assets that were of equal or longer depreciation or was this the only one? >> Not yes and no. Um, we have an uh a fire ladder replacement that is coming um but we expect to receive it in September. So

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we can only move these proceeds against a future expense. Um so we didn't really have anything else that really fit um both the useful life and was something that was previously approved that we haven't completed yet. So this fire engine which was approved last year at

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town meeting hasn't arrived. We haven't paid for it has a long enough useful life. So I kind of checked the boxes to be able to apply these proceeds against. Thanks. >> Do I hear a motion? >> I'd like to make a motion um that the

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warrant committee um recommend uh a yes vote on article two as printed in the draft warrant that was sent out last week. >> Is there a second? >> I'll second.

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>> Any discussion? Karen, can you do a roll call, please? >> Yes. >> Yes. Lorraine, >> yes. >> Larry, >> yes. >> Lindsay,

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>> yes. >> Ron, >> yes. >> Jimmy, >> yes. >> Nick, >> yes. Cecile. >> Yes. >> And Jay, >> abstain. Thank you. >> Motion carries.

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>> Okay, Lorraine, it's falling on your shoulders again. Can you speak to article three, Lorraine? >> Um, all right. This is about the um replacing the water system throughout the town. Um it's kind of a rotating project given the age of our water

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system and having to replace them. Um but this basically was submitted by the a select board, but it allows the select board to apply for and use federal funds, state funds, MWR or any other kind of funds and

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appropriate them to the a project. In previous years, because again this is rotating and they're going around replacing them. In previous years, town has to go to the town meeting. The town meeting in 24 25 and 26 approved 1.7

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million 1 7 million I mean 1,790 um,000 to improve projects and again it's on a rotating basis. the Department of Public Works. Um what they're doing is

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preparing um a package for the water replacement improvement projects, but they wanted to be able to be seeking the opportunity to increase the total appropriation and make it available um for a larger bid package. Um the

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additional work they're thinking of adding on to this is uh Governor's Road, which apparently had some kind of uh leakage breakage of their main at one point in the past. And the other one would be Franklin Street

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and Basset Street, which I think had an issue with the water main also. But what they're suggesting with that is if they can do it now while there's construction already going on in that area, they would be able to do improve both the

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underground infrastructure and the road work and that would be less of a disruption later on. So now that I mean the whole area is disrupted now because of the construction which is going to get finished. if this can be done at the same time in that area, it would be less

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of a disruption and like you wouldn't have to rip the whole thing over again um after. So, it is an addition to what's normally been um appropriated, but they're just asking to see if they can add these two other projects to it

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for the reasons stated. Um you know unfortunately it's not even something I mean it's it's a system that it's old and it just is going so we have keep up with it. Um so that that is it. So increase the funding the

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appropriation to 2.2 um to finance the rehab replacement of the town water system of what they have plus these two additional projects. ask is this 2.2 plus whatever we

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approved in May >> um >> instead of whatever we approved in May Mr. Milano, do you know that? >> No, this is it's just to borrow the um Well, this is to authorize the bar. So, isn't this what we do? >> So, I think it's in addition.

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>> I guess it's coming up this year. >> I assume we did something in annual time meeting in May and this is in addition just this 1.7 is what has is previously done both in this town meeting and prior and this 2.2 to would be in addition to that.

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>> Um we draw down this money from the uh from the MWR which is our water supplier >> and we're able to do so 10 years at no interest um from the MWR. So it's a no interest loan over 10 years for any water main and sewer main projects through the MWR program.

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>> Thank you. No interest as always. Thank you. >> That's great. >> Yeah. Um it's mentioned here, Nick, um that you know the select board can um accept

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um grants and gifts from the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority, but are we expecting that? And if so, is there a ballpark amount on that or are we going to be I mean interest free, are we going to be ponying up as a town the

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the whole almost 2.3 It's the standard language we use because the MWR program sometimes can fluctuate. Generally on the water side, it's a loanbased program at a 10-year loan at no interest. The sewer side

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often has um a grant component. Um in this case, we expect it to be a 10-year no interest loan only. It is possible that sometimes the MWR will release additional funding um that's just grant funding. That's why that language is in

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there. But I would say we expect in this case to be um that 10-year no interest loan. >> Any other questions? >> Do you do we know what enhancements they're making >> right now? of the the work uh proposed

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by DPW is is water mane replacement. So it's it's complete replacement of the water man that's in the street. Um the president is 1915 1932. Franklin is 1926. So we're talking you know 100 plus year old water means at this point that

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are just being replaced uh in their entirety. Okay. >> Thank you. Does someone want to make a motion? >> Do I hear silence because we don't have enough information to decide tonight? >> I just think it's worded weird.

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>> Well, I don't doubt this worded weird. I also bet it's worded the exact same way in the past 10 10 warrants. >> We could double check, but >> I suspect it is. was waiting for Elaine's leadership again. [laughter]

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>> Yeah, I I guess I just have a a question for Nick. Um Lorraine said that the the reason to do it now is because of the construction going on in the area. Are there other reasons to do it now that we should move this money now?

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>> Well, there's also an issue of I think they this I think they said Franklin Street had a flooding also. >> Um and Governor's Road had one. So these would be additional. >> Okay. >> And they just thought timing wise if they could do it now it doesn't mean you

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know if we don't do it now we have to do it later and it would be more disruptive is my understanding. >> All right. I'd like to recommend um no. I'd like to make a motion that

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the warrant committee recommend um a yes vote on article three as written in the draft warrant that was sent out a week ago. >> You're so good at this. >> The sum of two

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>> for the sum of Yeah. 2 million >> $280,000. >> I'll second it. I'll be >> Thank you. >> Any discussion on this motion? Karen, can you do a roll call vote? >> Yes. >> Nicole,

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>> yes. >> Lorraine, >> yes. >> Larry, >> yes. >> Levita, >> yes. >> Lindsay, >> yes. >> Ron, >> yes. >> Jimmy,

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>> yes. >> Nick, >> yes. >> Yes. and Jay >> abstain. >> Thank you. >> The motion carries >> and certainly one takeaway I got from that last discussion was that I think we

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made a good choice in who we appointed as our capital representative. Thank you for >> thank you >> explaining the ins and outs of the pipes to us. Uh the next two articles and the last two not counting labet

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related uh were new art I I'll say new articles. I wasn't expecting them till I saw them in this draft warrant less than a week ago. Uh I I I'm going to they're not on the agenda to vote tonight. We're not going to vote tonight. I did ask two

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warrant committee members to take a stab at seeing what these are. Uh I don't know if they're prepared to speak to them tonight. Article four regarding a community preservation committee grant for a playground. Ron, are you prepared to speak to this?

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>> AJ, no, not yet. I'm going to talk to Tom U and I hope hope to get him this week and then I'll come back and share more information at our next warrant committee meeting. >> Okay. So, Mr. Milano, it sounds like we'll be hearing from the community preservation committee. Uh, do you have

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anything real quick you want to say in this? I mean, I guess my number one question is why is this coming up now and not at the fall town meeting? >> You mean at spring? Uh, so >> it's late 2:30.

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>> Um, yeah. So this we had a pro let the community preservation committee depending on request for for street station from CPC for historical preservation. So they had um and I asked them to consider

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including that on the fall town meeting. Um, it also turned out that this project, which is a uh the playground replacement at the Tucker School, um, it has a has a bunch of other funding as well of it and trying to walk towards a summer 2027

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construction project to school. >> Logistically, it's a bit challenging for procurement sake and for contractor coordination, contract administration, um, etc. So ideally they would have as

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much of their funding committed and appropriated prior to um really this winter. So then we can assist them on procurement bidding and contracting to line up a contractor so that the playground equipment is delivered that the contractors are showing up you know

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that third week of June right away to work all the way through the summer so as much as completed as possible by September. So that's the reason to have a CPC project out of cycle is really about having the money in place ahead of like the bidding and

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procurement uh for a potential summer project that has to be done on a very tight timeline. So CPC can speak to it and Ron I can send you the contacts for a couple of the folks organized with the Tucker School PTO who can speak to the project as well.

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>> That'd be super helpful. Thank you. Okay. Yeah, I think in the room we got a little more than half of that, but I think our friends on Zoom got all of it and uh we'll be hearing back later. >> I'd like to make a motion to have the

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speakers in here checked before our next meeting. >> I'm just I was joking about the motion, but it's really hard to make out some of this information. >> Yeah, I don't know if this is I know this room is used often. I don't know if we're the first ones who've had this problem, but we'll we'll talk to our

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friends at MATV and [snorts] yeah, it's it's we're muddling by. Uh so that's that one. We're going to put that on hold. Um article five, Lindsay, I don't know again. No, I'm put put you on the spot.

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Do you have any to say about article five? >> No, not this meeting. >> Okay. It looks like uh Mr. Mr. Milano, can you say a little bit about article 5 and why it's coming up or should we just uh be patient and collect information for a future meeting?

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>> Yes. Sorry for the technical issues for those in the room. Um and I will follow up with MATV as well, but article 5 is really a housekeeping item. Um the this is MBTA community zoning related. The the MBTA community zoning allows for

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affordability requirements in units uh of projects with 10 units or more to have 10% of the units be affordable unless we um have an economic feasibility analysis that says that we can that Milton economy can support a

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15% affordability requirement. So we have completed that economic feasibility assessment that has been submitted to the state. The state has accepted it. of the town's effective requirement for affordable h affordable housing requirements in MBTA communities

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projects is 15%. So this is a I would characterize it as a housekeeping article to strike the reference to 10% of units just for clarity sake moving forward. Um, so what is in place now is that eight or more units, projects of

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eight or more units, 15% of those units have to be affordable units at 80% of AMI. Um, and all projects coming out of MBTA community zoning. There haven't been any to date, but this is for future projects. And this this this article just cleans up um and clarifies that

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zoning language. >> Thank you, Mr. Um, and I think what also will be important to emphasize to town meeting and to the warrant committee is article 5 is the paragraph we see in front of

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us. So town meeting cannot take action on more than the paragraph in front of us. Town meeting cannot as a result of article 5 say we're going to get out of MBTA communities act for example. So I think uh you know we'll remind the

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people at town meeting our discussion is limited to this paragraph. We'll remember that in the warrant committee and uh we'll do some of our homework and I appreciate your input Mr. Mon. Any more discussion on this?

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So then that leaves us with it's 8:30. God it feels later. Um that leaves us with articles that are not going to be on the fall town meeting article on falltown meeting warrant. Uh one of them being the local historic district which

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I understand the the select board opted not to put on the warrant. I'll fully confess I started listening to the select board meeting today. I didn't get far enough to hear their full discussion, but I understand that was the result is that it's not going to be on the fall meeting warrant. Um, not

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sure that there's much more to say about that. And then >> I will second that. >> You'll second that. [laughter] >> Yes. >> I thank you for your support, Ron. Ron and I were going to be the experts on this one. And so now we're uh, you know,

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sitting back drinking martinis or something. Uh, and also there's the um, sorry, why am I drawing a blank? There's the fire station and there's the uh short-term housing

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laws, both of which are not going to make it to the fall town meeting. I don't know if there's anything anyone wants to say about either of those at this meeting. I think and I'll, you know, I'll I think one thing I'd like Oh, sorry, Larry's.

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Go ahead. >> I I didn't actually wind up doing any research on the fire station because I saw that, you know, had heard that it was it was going to be pulled. So, But it does seem like they might there was some talk about a special town meeting in like January or something like that. Are all three of these articles do we

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know anything about that or is that still just in discussions? >> Mr. Milano >> at least for the fire station one. >> So yes, nothing no town meeting for the spring has been called. What would work best for the fire station project going

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forward would be to have a special an additional special town meeting January, February, March time frame ahead of the annual town election because that project will require vote of both a town meeting vote and question. certain way

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if there's a spring special went to a special team meeting the town meeting could annual the special election soon select board has yet to call it set a date um and I can't speak to the timeline for the short-term rentals

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although I think there is consensus among select board and planning board to have something completed at least prior to the annual town So, we're not really the hoodies. >> Okay. That that that's good to hear. I mean, I I certainly

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I I would I would throw in my two cents as the the short-term rentals, if those could also be on the let's call it a February town meeting, for lack of a better term. >> The the the more the more we can spread the love the the better because you know

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then we can do our job better to prepare for the annual time meeting >> have the annual time meeting mostly focused on budget and I'm sure there'll be a few other things in there too but be that would be easier >> yes >> I mean and plus yeah meeting can you know sort of focus on

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that short-term rental because it's so important you know and um we really want to get it right so >> yeah I think that'd be great I'll I want to organize my thoughts a bit more than they're organized right now and and maybe express that to the planning

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board. Um, so no other I mean we don't need to discuss those other articles much. So let's go back to where we started this meeting which is looking at the calendar. I'm gonna share my screen a bit. >> Okay. Before we do that, yes. Do you think

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>> can we ask Mr. Milano some of those questions and see if he can give us the answers that we might have had or an indication of when we might be able to get those answers. >> Yeah, please do. They're there. Mr. Milano, we had some questions regarding the um labet which were sort of out of

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scope for Mr. Auror. Uh Nick, do you want to take it away? No, sorry. Nick Tangney, do you want to take it away to speak to Nick Milano? >> Yeah, sure. So, I think we have three questions. I don't know that that it's fair to ask you those questions but there seem to be three key questions as

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it relates to the library and recognize that the actual you know construction of lab is sort of a decision different decision in the future right but one is uh you know how much is the acquisition going to be for and I guess you guys are in negotiations on that so you may not

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be able to give a number but maybe you could give a time frame. The second question is do we know what the school committee's view of this is? does seem like really important for them to endorse that they're enthusiastic or not about building uh the prek and K program

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that's being discussed at Labraet. And the third thing is so what happens if we buy Labber and then somehow decide not to build the school there? What is the out what is the exit plan for Milton with regards to the utilization of that property? And you might not be in a

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position to answer those questions, but I think we discussed earlier, at least in my mind, those are three important questions that will be uh valuable in helping the warrant committee form the recommendation >> questions. So in terms of acquisition, uh yes, we just in terms of process,

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what has happened is we've been engaging with the sellers in land directly numerous times. So we've been in close contact with them throughout this process. Uh we conducted an appraisal. We've received that appraisal and the select board has

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transmitted an offer to lab accordingly. Our understanding is they are accepting offers through the end of this week and then be sending out after that. So, we expect to be able to share more news in terms of potential acquisition costs in

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the the near term. Um, but for now, um, that's I'll I'll characterize it as that. Um, and once I'm able to share more, I will do so. Obviously, just trying to protect our ability to negotiate as well. um school committee

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view. You know, we had um I I obviously missed the first bit of your meeting, so I I don't know if the school committee was in in attendance at this meeting, but uh school committee chair Moring did attend select board meeting last week where you can see both his convers his comments and the superintendent's

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comments about the prekk um use of the facility. Um but I would certainly uh encourage you know a future meeting or or joint meeting between school committee committee or at least representatives of such to to speak directly to that and then what happens

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um if we buy it in a school project for for whatever reason does not go forward. Uh we've had a some conversations about that at the selectboard level. Um and there's been you know some consideration of how do we not muddle um some of the messaging

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around this and and what the intentions are. So I think we we've focused primarily um on determining whether it's viable for a school and plan to proceed with you know the viability that has come back through the work that the school building committee has done in in

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a very short amount of time and we thank them for that. um you know, one of members of the board and others have talked about whether there needs to be another committee or another group kind of working on the non-school idea. It's still something that the select board is is considering and looking at. We've

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we've had some conversations about, but uh focus mostly on the school piece. Um, so I can bring that question back and um and provide additional information at a future meeting with the warrant committee about about that aspect and how we would um go about handling handling that a little bit more

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directly. >> Thank you. >> So unless there Thank you, Nick. That's uh thank you Nick and thank you Nick. Uh, so I'm going to share my screen again for the

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calendar. So what I'm hearing is, and to inform Mr. Milano, no, we did not have members of the school committee or the select board here tonight. Um, let me double check my email. Um, so it sounds like we think it's very

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important to have member representatives of the select board and school committee visiting us. So, and I'm trying to talk and do other things at the same time, which is dangerous but >> okay, forget that. Um, >> I think one important thing is, do we

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know when we think we might know what the number is for the acquisition if the offer is accepted? Because I think that kind of meeting before we know that doesn't seem to make a lot of sense. >> I agree. >> Good point. Uh, Mr. Milano, could you

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narrow that down? Like if we were to schedule a meeting for a week from today, would that be foolish because that'd be before we know that the purchase price? >> We know what we can control at this point. I I I just I can't opine on when

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lab beret and whatever process happening is will move. All I can say is that we have expressed to >> we're we're I I apologize. We're not hearing anything you're saying. >> Um >> Wow. Nope. Um

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>> but it sounds like it would be better to wait and not >> meet next week at least. >> I would not expect to have anything for next week. I think that is fair by the end of >> the >> Thank you. Thank you. We are pushing up

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against warrant printing dates, but so it sounds like the answer is next week would not make sense to meet. Um, I I'll put an asterisk in that. Unless like if the o I'm just if the only time

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that is convenient for members of the school committee to meet with us is next week, then maybe we would, but uh we'll definitely be meeting on the week I'll say the week of the 24th. We usually meet on Mondays, but it sounds like we

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might have to roll with things. Um, and to a certain extent, I don't like cutting things at the last minute, but if we didn't set the warrant printing deadline, we're not setting the deadline of when we know about the purchase price. So,

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I'm still a little confused. The number that we gave to Labraet, that's secret. Mr. Milano, >> this time it seems because we would be Anything about the purchase price we would view as part of our negotiating

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strategy with them. So we would hold that as um confidential until it's rejected, the deal goes a different direction and until an agreement is reached. >> Okay. All right. >> Can I ask one question related to that?

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Why if if this is something that the town has enthusiasm for and I don't know if that's true or not um why not look at acquiring the property um not through an open bidding process but through eminent domain

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eminent domain taking is possible for you know to be done by a I just like to do this that library has set. I'll just kind of leave it there. >> Okay. Thank you. >> Okay. So, our friends on Zoom heard all of that. >> Yeah. Maybe uh Nick can repeat it. The

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other Nick >> can hear. Yeah, we we're hearing from our members pretty well. Nick Tangney, can you repeat that? >> Um, let's see if I can what Mr. Milano said was um they're they're they're proceeding currently with the bidding

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process and um they want to see how that plays out is what I heard. >> Okay. So, a very diplomatic answer. >> That's what I heard. Yes. >> Okay. Okay. >> I mean, in terms like a legal proceeding, right? It's not it's probably not the first place you would

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go. >> Probably not maybe not as easy as some of us are imagining it. >> Um so I think where we land is that we're not meeting next week. We're meeting on the 24th.

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That probably makes it somewhat likely we'll meet on the 31st. Possibly have to call an audible and have like a midweek meeting at some point. I'm not I'm just trying to prepare for the worst here. Um but the immediate future is not meeting next

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Monday. I will talk to my colleagues on the school committee and the select board. Do whatever I can to get them to meet with us. If not on the 24th, then some mutually agreeable time. >> Okay. Does that was that just me being a dictator or does that sound

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>> Sounds fine. >> Sounds fine. Okay. Okay. I don't think there's anything else we need to discuss. >> Yes, Elaine. The final motion of the night. >> I'd like to make a motion to adjurnn. >> Yes.

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>> Okay. All in favor, wave of the camera. >> Yes. >> Okay. Thank you all for your work.