Burrell School Renovation, Fire Truck Among Town Meeting Items

FOXBOROUGH, MA — The Special Town Meeting scheduled for the fall was supposed to feature only the Burrell Elementary School renovation project, but that was before 15 other proposed articles were placed on the warrant for consideration.

Of those 17, 10 to 12 will make it on the warrant with the rest to be considered at next year’s Annual Town Meeting, Town Manager Bill Keegan said at a recent selectmen meeting. More could be pushed to the next Town Meeting if possible.

“It’s a tight window between now and when we meet,” Keegan said. “If some things can be pushed to the annual, we’ll recommend that.”

The Burrell School project will likely be what brings voters to the meeting. Residents will be asked to approve the borrowing needed to move forward with the project and transfer all available funds. The $35 million renovation will be the first significant work on the school since it was built in 1967. When the work is done, the school will have a new full gym that can be an assembly space, breakout space for small rooms, and a new media center, art, and music rooms.

About half of the costs of the project will be covered by a state reimbursement from the Massachusetts School Building Authority. Last winter, Business Administrator Bill Yukna told the school committee that the town’s share will be paid for through the school’s operating budget, meaning there will be no calls for a debt exclusion vote.

Residents will also be asked to approve the collective bargaining agreements for the police officers, library employees, firefighters, and public safety dispatchers.

Grants to allow the fire department to buy a new fire truck will also be considered.

An article that's aimed at service members will likely be on the warrant. Voters will be asked to consider allowing the town to pay the difference between a public employee's town pay and military pay when they are on active duty.

Some marijuana bylaw language fixes, a proposed vape shop zoning district on Route 1, and a scholarship for the children of soldiers who are prisoners of war or went missing in action are also being considered for the warrant.

The Special Town Meeting will be held in October.

Image Credit: Dan Libon/Patch