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Capital Expenditure Committee appoints Lou Brodeur chairman, reviews 2027 capital requests
Summary
At its Feb. 26 meeting, the Capital Expenditure Committee appointed Lou Brodeur as chairman, reviewed preliminary 2027 capital requests (plows, mowers, security cameras, hydraulic rescue tools) with several items missing supporting details, set meeting dates and extended the submission deadline to March 16.
Lou Brodeur was appointed chairman of the Capital Expenditure Committee during the panel’s Feb. 26 meeting at the Clifford B. Green Memorial Center. Committee member Dave Lee moved to appoint Brodeur; Kayla Burgess seconded and the motion passed.
The committee reviewed an initial set of requests for the 2027 capital plan. Brodeur distributed the draft five-year plan and outlined the requests received to date: two plows for the Highway Department ($25,700.00) — the department has not yet completed the Capital Expenditure Request Form; outdoor video cameras and a badge-swipe security system for the Green Building proposed by the Director of Technology ($19,328.14), with committee members noting the system could be combined with security upgrades at other town buildings; Brooklyn Parks & Recreation’s request for two new mowers ($47,034.26) plus mower attachments ($5,947.46), the latter amount absent from the submitted form; and the East Brooklyn Fire Department’s request for hydraulic rescue tools ($47,025.00), for which the department was asked to provide an inventory.
Brodeur said the Board of Education submitted no capital requests this cycle because of an ongoing large HVAC project. Committee members discussed inviting requestors to forthcoming meetings so staff could ask clarifying questions.
The committee set three follow-up meeting dates — March 19 at 6:00 p.m., March 23 at 6:30 p.m. and March 30 at 6:30 p.m. — and agreed to extend the deadline for capital submissions to March 16, 2026. Brodeur said he would ask S. Cates to circulate notice of the new deadline. The committee also scheduled its presentation to the Board of Finance for April 15, 2026 at 7:00 p.m. and said it could meet earlier if additional preparation was needed.
During the public comment period, Sandy Brodeur urged the committee to reconsider the submission deadline and to review and improve the Capital Request form. Public commenter M. Allen raised concerns about water damage at the schools and asked that facility needs be addressed in the capital planning process.
Committee member Dave Lee moved to adjourn at 7:23 p.m.; Kayla Burgess seconded and the meeting concluded.
What’s next: committee staff will request missing documentation (the Highway Department form and the Fire Department equipment inventory), publish the extended submission deadline, and continue review of the submitted items at the March meetings ahead of the April 15 Board of Finance presentation.
