Needham designers outline Pollard school timeline, MSBA reimbursement limits and Cogswell bids

Design and project managers updated the Finance Committee on active town construction projects and the Pollard school submission to the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA), describing a multi‑phase construction timeline, recent bids on a municipal maintenance building, and the MSBA reimbursement framework that will govern how much the town ultimately carries.

On municipal projects, presenters said Emery Grover is occupied and in warranty; Broadmeadow and Elliot rooftop units are complete; the Needham Public Library’s team space is in construction and should be substantially complete by February with furniture arriving in early March; and the fleet maintenance/Cogswell addition is under construction with blasting for rock and an anticipated 18‑month schedule.

“Hank” (building design staff) told the committee that bids for the Cogswell maintenance building were favorable: the low bid was about $15.8 million and the high bid about $18 million, allowing the team to award four ad alternates intended to improve building longevity and sustainability. Those alternates include rooftop solar, a Level‑3 electric vehicle charger under a canopy, and conversion of gas‑fired bay heating to air‑source heat pumps.

On Pollard, the team said the MSBA has approved the project through feasibility (module 3) and that a Facility Assessment Subcommittee meeting with MSBA is scheduled for Feb. 24 (staff said the MSBA board meeting follows in late February), where the town expects to seek approval to move into schematic design.

Designers explained MSBA’s reimbursement rules: the agency calculates a base percentage (presenters cited roughly 31 base points) plus incentive points (for example, the town’s opt‑in green community status and indoor‑air incentives) that raised the project’s cited reimbursement to about 35.4% before caps and ineligible costs. Presenters said that after factoring caps, ineligible elements and cost‑per‑square‑foot limits, a conservative planning assumption is to carry roughly 20% reimbursement for the project.

“MSBA will reimburse up to their eligible amount — for instance, 35% of $605 per eligible square foot — but if we design a building that costs $900 per square foot, the town is on the hook for the difference,” a design representative said, summarizing how MSBA caps and eligible costs work.

The design team outlined next steps and timing: selection interviews for the construction manager‑at‑risk (CMR) are planned for late February, the team expects to submit schematic design by late June for an August MSBA board meeting, and construction is tentatively set to start July 1, 2028 with phased work through 2032. The team also said it will mail notices to abutters within a 500‑foot radius and hold neighbor outreach in early February to discuss solar canopies and other design elements that may require zoning relief.

Why it matters: MSBA reimbursement can substantially reduce town borrowing but applies only to MSBA‑eligible costs and is subject to caps. Budget and design choices made now — including ad alternates (solar, EV charging, heat pumps) and square‑footage decisions — affect how much the town must fund locally if the project exceeds MSBA caps.

What’s next: the team will return with schematic documents and anticipated project scope and budget for further committee review and public discussion ahead of town meeting.