Brookline reports no asbestos at Town Hall; lighting bid estimated and annex, Bruce Hall repairs discussed

Town staff told the Select Board that asbestos testing at Town Hall found no detectable asbestos in samples collected across the building, removing a potential barrier to planned engineering work.

Chair reported bids for exterior lighting at Town Hall, including an $8,050 estimate to add side-of-building fixtures; members asked for comparative bids for different mounting options and aesthetic treatments before deciding how much to invest.

The Chair gave a detailed update on the annex: the upstairs has water intrusion and a deteriorating back wall, and engineers recommended options that include closing the upstairs and using the downstairs only. The library has been trimming its collection and hopes to relocate many items into the main library to reduce annex storage; Friends of the Library book sales and other community uses were discussed as considerations in any plan.

The board also addressed an emergency heating failure at Bruce Hall. The Chair said temporary electric heaters were installed and staff obtained at least two quotes for furnace repair or replacement; because the quotes fall below the town's $10,000 threshold for formal bids, the board agreed to leave procurement and repairs to Andrea (tenant maintenance) and staff to proceed to avoid frozen pipes and further damage.

The board discussed purchasing thresholds and agreed that routine maintenance under the informal bid threshold can be managed by staff while larger capital conversions (for example changing fuel type) would require a different, costlier installation and more formal procurement.