John Oskie, chair of the Capital Improvement Planning Committee, told the Select Board and Advisory Committee on Jan. 7 that the committee is presenting an unusually large slate of FY26 capital requests and wants guidance on which projects to dig into further.

"ARPA has significantly dampened the need for us to make tough decisions in prior years as a capital committee," Oskie said, summarizing why the number of proposals now looks much larger as federal pandemic relief winds down and more traditional capital funding is required.

The committee presented a long list of proposed appropriations and bond candidates that included water‑system work, stormwater and culvert repairs, a multi‑site crosswalk flashing‑beacon program, vehicle replacements for public works, and recreational improvements including a proposed turf conversion at Chote Field.

Why it matters: capital requests in Southborough are clustered now because of deferred maintenance and the end of one‑time federal funding. If the town funds multiple large projects at once, debt and annual debt service will rise. The committee emphasized that voters, the Select Board and Advisory Committee must weigh operational tradeoffs and whether to bond larger packages or appropriate pay‑as‑you‑go sums.

Most urgent items

- Culverts and sinkholes: DPW Superintendent Bill Cundiff described a run of failing underground drainage and culvert infrastructure that has produced sudden, costly problems. "Back in the fifties sixties, towns were putting in corrugated metal pipe. And it's that time of the season when these things are starting to go," Cundiff said. Two recently identified culvert/sinkhole sites are now priced at the scale that the committee expects will require bonding.

- Pipe camera and stormwater compliance: Cundiff told the group the town is an MS4 community subject to EPA and DEP permit requirements and needs better mapping and condition assessment. The committee proposed purchasing a pipe camera kit (grant match expected) to inventory at‑risk culverts and identify candidates for relining versus full replacement.

- Water system work: The water division submitted several mains and loop improvements and vehicle replacements. Capital deferred judgment pending the town's water‑rate analysis so that the committee can measure rate impacts before recommending appropriations or bonds.

- Crosswalk safety program (RRFBs): Capital included site improvements for seven candidate flashing‑beacon crosswalks (RRFBs). The state would provide the beacons through a grant, but the committee estimated roughly $300,000 for required site work across the seven locations if the town receives the equipment.

- Chote Field turf proposal: Recreation submitted a turf conversion and related site work; the committee reported a conservative fully‑loaded estimate in the millions. Recreation told capital it plans private fundraising and suggested much of the cost could be funded outside the general fund; the committee asked for direction on whether to advance the full project or pursue phased/partial approaches.

- Trotter School roof: The Trotter roof project is in MSBA feasibility; the committee estimated a roughly $5.8 million fully‑loaded cost with an expected MSBA reimbursement around 36 percent. Timing of feasibility and the MSBA process will control whether any town appropriation can appear at the upcoming town meeting.

Process, priorities and debt posture

Oskie asked the Select Board and Advisory Committee to give the capital committee limits and priorities—e.g., a target appropriation ceiling—so staff and departments can return with an ordered list the boards can defend to voters. Several board members noted that while Southborough’s bonded debt picture is favorable now (Algonquin school debt has largely rolled off), adding several large projects at once would raise the town's annual debt burden.

Committee members and elected officials urged two near‑term actions: prioritize an inventory (pipe camera) so the town can triage culverts, and review bonding policy (thresholds and minimums) so the town avoids bonding small items that could be paid from operating or capital maintenance funds.

Quotes from participants

- John Oskie, Capital Improvement Planning Committee: "We have a lot of requests in front of us in the immediate term...we are going to need some guidance of how far we wanna ring fence this."

- Bill Cundiff, DPW superintendent: "The federal government, EPA and the DEP have stringent requirements as to what Ms. 4 communities, municipal separate storm sewer system, Ms. 4 communities have to adhere to every year." (describing MS4 permit obligations and mapping needs)

- Kristen LaValle, Recreation Commission (speaking as a private citizen): "I'm a little disappointed that this conversation didn't include more CPC and Recreation Commission involvement. I'm glad to hear that you're electing representatives to meet with the commission, and I would hope that future conversations would ensure that we have representation from all committees involved."

Next steps and uncertainties

The capital committee will return with refined costings, water‑rate impacts, and phasing proposals. The committee set February presentation dates for water projects and intends to bring prioritized articles to the Select Board and Advisory Committee ahead of town meeting. Several members urged exploring a line‑of‑credit or targeted multiyear bond to manage recurring culvert/underground‑infrastructure needs rather than year‑to‑year emergency appropriations.

Ending: The committee characterized FY26 as a year in which Southborough must make deliberate choices about which capital needs to fund now, which to defer, and how to restructure policy around bonding thresholds and capital article flexibility.