Needham board reviews seven Pollard Middle School options, flags budget and site tradeoffs

Select Board members spent the bulk of their Nov. 12 meeting on options for the Pollard Middle School project, reviewing seven feasibility sketches that differ in grade configuration, phasing and whether the town would build on the existing Pollard site or on DeFazio Field.

The board invited Hank Haft, Director of Building Design and Construction, and Merrill Nissler, Senior Project Manager for Building Design and Construction, to summarize preliminary findings and outstanding questions. "This is feasibility, so we're very high level here," the project team said, stressing that the presentations were intended to inform cost estimates and identify technical constraints rather than produce final recommendations.

Why it matters: The project affects multiple town priorities — school capacity, construction cost and timing, athletic fields and town infrastructure budgets — and will shape decisions that affect both short-term construction disruption and long-term debt service.

What presenters told the board

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