Town staff and Select Board members provided updates on preparations for the temporary town hall at 48 Gardner Road, thanked volunteers for seasonal events, and noted contributions and equipment deliveries for public safety.

Nate, the town administrator, reported that roofing work at 48 Gardner Road is progressing and that MassDOT has already moved to the second floor of the building. He said units were being painted in preparation for the temporary town hall move and that the town had purchased a server with ARPA funds earlier; the Cat‑5 wiring authorization approved at the meeting is intended to complete the technology setup.

Nate estimated that exterior work could finish “probably another 2, 3 weeks” if the weather cooperated, and said a designer offer was likely to be made soon to assist with longer‑term planning for the building. Staff noted that some interior rot had been localized to outer beams near the breezeway and that contractors did not identify any major structural issues when stripping the roof.

Public safety and donations: a new police cruiser arrived the day of the meeting, and the Tom Forest Memorial Foundation donated a mobile cruiser radio. The board publicly thanked the foundation and attendees at the Tom Forest Memorial motorcycle ride earlier in the year.

Community events and staff updates: board members thanked volunteers who decorated town properties for the holidays and organizers of events such as “Brunch with Santa.” Staff noted upcoming meat raffles and the town office holiday closures for New Year’s and Martin Luther King Jr. Day. The town is also preparing an RFP for trash services with Princeton and planning a rollout of a revamped e‑permitting system and a new website with upgraded branding and images.

Facilities and operations: the board discussed a recent minor plumbing incident at the 48 Gardner Road units that was quickly contained thanks to a staff member's timely action; staff will assess any mustiness and consider dehumidifiers or cleanup as needed.

Staff training and conferences: four staff members were approved to attend the MMA conference; the board discussed costs and benefits of periodic staff training and vendor fairs.

The town also reported that an ADA group met for the first time and walked through town facilities to prepare an accessibility review. The public safety building committee is moving toward a designer hire and has two finalists under consideration.