Sudbury 250 Committee narrows venues, assigns event captains and seeks cost estimates before Select Board deadline

The Sudbury 250 Committee met virtually on Jan. 15 to refine planning for the town’s 250th anniversary programming, assign event captains and collect facility and audiovisual (AV) cost estimates ahead of a Jan. 31 Select Board deadline to decide whether to place a warrant article for additional funding.

The committee began with a review of proposed speaker events, venues and preliminary capacities: Lincoln‑Sudbury (LS) auditorium (approx. 1,000), Curtis Auditorium (approx. 300), First Parish sanctuary (fire‑code capacity discussed as roughly 200 but sanctuary fire‑code listing of 250 noted), Goodnow Library (about 100), Wayside Inn / Martha Mary Chapel (venue and dining options discussed), and Fairbanks and the Senior Center for smaller events. Committee members flagged parking, crossings and potential police support as venue considerations.

Budget and timeline: the committee referenced an initial appropriation of $25,000; to date it has spent approximately $3,700. Merchandise and fundraising proceeds were discussed (colonial fair receipts of about $300 and holiday sales about $400 were cited as approximate). The Select Board asked whether the committee anticipated a shortfall; the board must vote by Jan. 31 whether to place a warrant article for the next fiscal year (FY26). To answer that, the committee directed volunteers to obtain firm facility rental, custodial and AV estimates and to add a suggested contingency of $5,000 to the worksheet for “known unknowns” such as police details or additional equipment rental.

Assignments and process: committee members split outreach work to gather availability and cost details (Tim to check LS; Jim to contact Wayside Inn/Martha Mary Chapel and grille costs; chair/staff to contact Curtis and Goodnow Library; Jan to follow up on First Parish and senior center). Committee members agreed to a deadline for answers (end of week; group set 5 p.m. Friday) so the chair or designee could compute a maximum estimated shortfall and present that figure to the Select Board if needed. The committee also agreed to standardize an invitation template for event captains to use when contacting speakers.

Event captains and programming: the committee assigned event captains for many programs (examples: Jane Shaikh March 16 presentation — Rachel; Minute Man Marsh events — John Newhouse and Jim Weagle; Henry Knox event — Perry/Chamber liaison; cannon/transportation contact — Steve Gloski coordination; Tony Howes indigenous presentation — assigned; Peter Avera author presentation — event captain(s) to follow up). Music programming possibilities discussed included the Musicians of the Old Post Road, Sudbury fife and drum, and small colonial ensembles; decisions about whether music would be free public programming versus ticketed dinner events will affect venue choice.

AV and equipment: the committee highlighted the need for a larger projection screen at some venues and discussed options: in‑house screens at Wayside and library (size limits), rental of larger LED or projection screens, or low‑tech alternatives (large white rolling paper). Sudbury TV and volunteers were suggested as recording and AV support options.

Meeting outcomes and next steps: the committee did not take a formal funding vote at the Jan. 15 meeting; instead it authorized the outreach plan to collect firm cost estimates and added a $5,000 contingency to the working spreadsheet. The committee set a follow‑up reporting cadence and tentatively scheduled the next meeting for Feb. 7 at 7 p.m. (to be confirmed). A separate, formal Select Board decision on the warrant article remains the town’s process and deadline.

Ending: Committee members emphasized speed on cost collection so the Select Board can decide whether to include a warrant article for FY26 funding. The group will reconvene after members return cost and availability details.