The North Brookfield Select Board on Dec. 30 pressed the owner
nd project team for faster decision-making after contingency funds for the townire/highway renovation were nearly exhausted.

Select Board members heard from the owner's project manager and the architect/contract administrator that phase 1 of the three-building program had uncovered significant, unanticipated scope and that Bay Path School would not perform anticipated electrical work at the highway barn, producing about a $160,000 change-order impact. The project's representatives said the uncovered work, procurement lead times and previously removed items during value engineering now threaten the budget for later phases.

Board members emphasized the need for the building committee and owner representatives to identify potential cuts and to follow up swiftly on "owner" action items from weekly OAC (owner-architect-contractor) meetings. The board discussed posting OAC meetings as building-committee meetings to ensure a quorum is present for decisions, though some members warned that formal public posting could create obstacles; others argued posting would increase accountability.

The board pressed for clearer assignment of decision authority. Several members suggested empowering the town administrator (referred to in the meeting as Mike) or designating a single owner decision-maker who can act between select-board meetings on routine procurement and low-cost items to avoid repeated delays. The board asked Tony (identified in the meeting as the owner's project manager) to facilitate a near-term meeting of the owner team, OAC and the building committee and to deliver an "owner's hot list" of outstanding items and recommended cost-savings.

The project team reported a recent procurement issue involving an oil tank that was found not to meet system requirements in an RFI dated Oct. 31; the originally quoted 600-gallon tank had a long lead time, but staff identified a 500-gallon tank available for immediate delivery once a pad is poured. Board members cited that episode as an example of owner-side follow-through that must improve.

Several members also urged the committee to produce a prioritized list of potential cuts that would preserve essential safety-related upgrades (for the fire station apparatus building and structural reinforcements) while trimming nonessential finish or optional scope. The board reiterated that borrowing capacity is limited and that the town cannot assume additional debt beyond current limits.

Next steps: Tony will convene a shorter-cycle meeting to surface owner responsibilities, circulate the OAC owner-action list to the Select Board, and the building committee will meet more frequently to vet proposed cost savings and report back to the board.