Westborough capital committee recommends warrant updates, including lower-cost police command post and targeted school repairs

The Town of Westborough’s Capital Expenditures Planning Committee voted to recommend revisions to the upcoming town meeting warrant after reviewing four amended capital articles at its meeting on May 14, 2026.

The committee approved recommending a revised $282,468 request for a police mobile command post, Deputy Chief Steve Tomkins said, a figure trimmed from an earlier estimate after departments pared “nice‑to‑have” equipment that had been included while pursuing grant funding. “When we didn’t get the grant funding, we started to really pare back on what are the must haves,” Tomkins said. Lieutenant Cliff Lewis gave the revised price as $282,468 and said the department expects about $34,000 from a grant and roughly $50,000 from the police foundation toward the purchase.

The recommendation also changes how the schools’ capital needs will appear on the warrant. The superintendent told the committee that the C‑section of the high‑school roof and the Mill Pond roof article were removed from this year’s warrant because the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) timeline makes reliable cost figures unlikely before town meeting. The superintendent said the district will seek MSBA acceptance into the ARP program in January 2027, with a decision possibly as late as November 2027, and that engineering/design funding would likely be pursued in 2027 with possible town meeting action in 2028.

On the Gibbons Fieldhouse, school officials reported that comprehensive repair estimates came back high and that demolition had been considered; a local contractor later provided a lower repair estimate and the committee was presented with a targeted repair article of $46,000 to address the roof, remove some interior partitions and keep the building usable for storage and community groups. The superintendent said the smaller scope is intended to preserve the space now while leaving future options open for more substantial electrical or plumbing work.

Finance Director John Steinberg asked the committee to approve an increase in the capital request for chart‑of‑accounts work from $75,000 to $125,000 to cover implementation, contract adjustments with the software vendor, and additional training for town and school staff. “We’re asking to go from 75 to 125,000 after further review of our current chart of accounts,” Steinberg said; he said the $50,000 increase will be split across implementation, contract costs and training.

After discussion and questions about timing and departmental coordination, a committee member moved that the Capital Expenditures Planning Committee recommend the revised capital articles presented at the meeting; another member seconded the motion. The committee voted to recommend the revisions; one member verbally recorded an abstention during the motion vote. Meeting materials were described as reflecting warrant version five, available on the town website.

The committee’s recommendation means the four revised articles will be placed on the warrant as the proponents proposed them; final funding decisions will be made at the Town Meeting. The committee adjourned after approving the motion to recommend the warrant changes.

What’s next: the revised warrant articles will appear on the warrant packet for the Town Meeting; the superintendent emphasized that the school roof items removed from this year’s warrant may return once MSBA timelines and stronger cost estimates are available.