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Select Board delays final recommendation on CCHS amenities building funding as sewer capacity questions remain
Summary
The Select Board acknowledged the School Committee’s request for a debt-exclusion vote for a Concord-Carlisle High School amenities building but declined to make a final recommendation pending public-works engineering review and a capacity analysis from the Board of Health on sewer hookup costs and feasibility.
The Select Board discussed a debt-exclusion warrant article for a Concord-Carlisle High School amenities building at its May 5 meeting but decided not to finalize a recommendation ahead of additional technical reviews from Public Works and a capacity analysis from the Board of Health.
Select Board members and FinCom attendees pressed for clarity on whether the school committee’s $1.4 million estimate already accounted for a potential sewer hookup and any related costs. Town staff reported the school committee had moved $200,000 into capital stabilization to help cover any incremental sewer hookup expense, but the public works commission told the board that a full engineering design and a sewer-capacity analysis are required before a firm cost is known.
Sven Weber of the Public Works Commission said a sewer connection would likely involve a pump station and roughly 467 linear feet of piping; he said the commission must review engineering plans and evaluate sewer capacity because the town has recorded months in the prior 12-month period when sewer flows exceeded capacity. ‘‘We will have to do a capacity analysis given ... what is the current sewer capacity over the last 12 months,’’ Weber said. He also noted the Baker 40B project and other developments could add to demand.
Board members agreed they could not responsibly recommend the article to Town Meeting without clearer cost estimates and confirmation of whether the town has the capacity to accept flows from a potential hookup. The Select Board voted to provide its town-meeting recommendation (a recorded motion in the meeting) after Public Works and the Board of Health complete their reviews and return findings to the board. The School Committee is continuing conversations with Public Works and expects follow-up meetings.
The board also clarified that Community Preservation Committee (CPC) funding is not available for this fiscal year for the amenities building; CPC cycles operate on an annual schedule and would be available in the next application cycle if the project remains eligible.
