The Capital Improvement Plan Advisory Committee on June 25 finalized rankings of seven projects for the town’s draft CIP and agreed to hold the library restroom work out of this year’s request amid concerns that its high cost would jeopardize the broader library renovation.

Committee members put the Career and Technical Education (CTE) project at the top of the urgency list, followed by the town hall roof repair, the North End main replacement, the swing bridge rehabilitation, a Sterling truck replacement, a forestry truck replacement and the municipal parking lot. Committee staff will fold those rankings into a draft plan for review by the Board of Selectmen and the planning board.

The decision to delay the library restroom element came after Kathy Parente, speaking from the library trustees, described trustee concern that “the high cost of the restrooms will negatively impact the full project,” and said trustees would prefer to keep that work off this year and revisit it next year while they meet with architects to redesign spaces that changed after the pandemic.

Why it matters: delaying the restroom work reduces short‑term borrowing and tax‑impact projections in the CIP draft but means the broader library renovation remains dependent on future warrant article support, private donations or re-scoping of work.

Inverted‑pyramid details

Project rankings and next steps: Committee staff presented two ranking orders: an urgency ranking (CTE first, town hall roof second, North End AC third, swing bridge fourth, Sterling truck fifth, forestry truck sixth, parking lot seventh) and a project‑score ranking that placed the CTE first and shuffled other items (Sterling truck and North End AC appeared higher when scored by project criteria). Camille (CIP staff) told the group the rankings would be inserted into the draft plan and that Caroline had updated financial tables for the packet. The committee agreed to publish the draft by the end of the week and to meet again for review in late July; the July 9 meeting was canceled and the committee will meet on July 23 to review the draft before the public hearings scheduled for August and September.

Library discussion: Kathy Parente said trustees supported the overall renovation but feared that including the restroom at this time could “negatively impact the full project” because the library receives limited financial support. Trustees plan to reconvene with the architects late in the year to redesign program spaces and consider phased work. Committee members discussed the possibility of joint planning with the recreation department and noted that donors are more likely to fund new programming or new space than demolition costs.

Swing bridge cost uncertainty: Committee staff explained the swing bridge rehabilitation was originally advanced through the state with an expectation that the state would cover right‑of‑way, preliminary engineering and construction. Staff said that when the project was reclassified as a pedestrian bridge it lost eligibility for full state bridge funding; the state agreed to cover the local match for preliminary engineering and right of way but not the construction, leaving the town responsible for construction costs. Staff reported that the state has returned a revised estimate that effectively increases anticipated construction costs by about 50 percent and pushed the probable construction year out to 2028, creating risk that the town would need to seek a larger appropriation at a future town meeting. A staff member summarized the approach: the committee increased the town’s construction estimate to include a buffer so the project would not have to return to voters twice.

CTE funding uncertainty: Members noted the state budget had not been finalized and that the amount and timing of state CTE funding remained unclear; one member referenced public statements that the state budget was in conference and subject to veto risk. Committee members agreed their rankings should reflect project priority not funding certainty; the school and Board of Selectmen will consider funding availability when making final recommendations.

Financial modeling and schedule: Staff said lease and bond assumptions used in the draft assume approximately 5 percent interest on potential leases; Caroline and Troy (town staff) provided amortization schedules and updated tax‑impact charts showing combinations of town and school projects over the next five to six years. Staff noted the draft would change if the library project is removed as planned.

Formal actions and procedural items: The committee approved May 31 minutes as amended by roll call vote; members later moved to adjourn and recorded a roll call vote to close the meeting. The committee also agreed by consensus to cancel the July 9 meeting and to meet July 23 to review the draft CIP prior to public hearings in August and September.

End note: Staff will post a draft CIP for public review and circulate updated financial tables before the July 23 meeting; the committee asked members to send comments in advance so staff can incorporate edits into the draft.