Select Board advances Lawrence School building committee process amid state-school funding coordination
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Summary
Officials described the Lawrence School renovation as a major project tied to the Massachusetts School Building Authority and deferred final committee appointments after interviewing seven candidates; the board later appointed additional members and named a local financial representative.
Mike Rentshaw, town manager, explained that state regulation (transcript: "CMR 9 63") authorizes the Select Board to establish a school building committee for the planned Lawrence School renovation and said the Massachusetts School Building Authority is a key funding partner. Rentshaw described the committee's role in selecting the owner's project manager and architect and said the town is still finalizing the committee size and membership.
Rentshaw told viewers the board interviewed seven well-qualified community candidates and opted to defer final appointments to a future agenda to avoid an unwieldy committee size. "We don't want the committee to be so large that it's unwieldy, but we want to have as much involvement with the community as we possibly can," Chair Bob Moscally said.
Later in the meeting the board appointed additional members to the committee and named Paul Dartz to serve as the local financial and operations representative. The board also appointed Vice Chair Heather Goldstone to the committee. Rentshaw said the committee will play a central role in selecting the design team for what the board described as an extensive renovation.
Next steps: the Select Board said it will continue appointments at upcoming meetings and provide project updates to the public as the town and the Massachusetts School Building Authority advance funding and planning.
