BET approves $6 million interim for Central Middle School; $1.6M release tied to building committee report

The Board of Estimate and Taxation voted May 18 to approve a $6,000,000 interim appropriation to add to the owner’s contingency for the $112 million Central Middle School (CMS) project.

The appropriation passed unanimously after the BET approved an amendment — on a 6–5 roll-call — proposed by budget committee chair Miss Erickson that set aside $1,600,000 of the additional contingency for partial or full release only after the BET receives and accepts a report from the CMS Building Committee detailing the need for those funds.

Why it matters: The CMS project has identified late-stage exposures, including a $3.2 million increase for fire-suppression design, an approximately $1 million owner’s representative change, remediation of the existing building site and other change orders that reduced the project contingency. BET members who supported the condition framed it as modest fiscal oversight; opponents warned it could slow decisions at a critical time for project completion.

Joe Rossetti, chair of the CMS Building Committee, told the BET the late March emergence of several exposures had consumed much of the contingency and warned that requiring the committee to seek BET approval for releases could cause delays. "Having to come to the BET to receive approval for whatever might come up on the project will certainly delay our project," Rossetti said, adding that the committee would convene stakeholders to try to resolve issues with the building department and fire marshal.

Miss Erickson said the condition was "by far the least restrictive" oversight measure she could propose and emphasized the board’s responsibility as fiscal stewards. She described the $1.6 million as the unallocated tranche and invited the building committee to return in July with documentation if it wished release of those funds.

Opponents including BET representative Mister Fisher argued that the building committee has "been incredibly responsible" and that the condition risked micromanaging volunteers and the project timeline. Fisher urged the committee to provide an update in July rather than impose a spending condition.

The BET also approved the related bonding resolution for the appropriation and discussed the possibility of adjusting bond maturities at a later debt-and-fund-balance committee meeting. The BET recorded a unanimous revote on the amended appropriation after the condition carried, and the final appropriation vote was 11–0 in favor.

Next steps: The BET’s condition requires the Central Middle School Building Committee to provide a report and supporting documentation before the $1.6 million tranche can be partially or fully released; the building committee signaled willingness to return to the BET and to expedite coordination with town building and fire authorities.