Honeywell Project Fails by Two Votes

Special Town Meeting voters rejected the Honeywell energy-saving project tonight by two votes.

The project fell two votes short of the required two-thirds majority, with 88 in favor and 48 opposed, at the meeting, held at .

Supporters argued that the project would allow the town to make needed repairs to town buildings, in particular the , without costing the taxpayers money.

Questions were raised about the Honeywell's qualifications to do the scope of the work, which falls beyond energy-savings measures. Others questioned the cost that Honeywell was charging for the project.

The project would cost a total of $6.8 million, which would be funded
through the use of $1.6 million in free cash to pay down the principal. The remainder of the cost will be offset by energy savings to the building, which are guaranteed by Honeywell.

The project would have no impact on property taxes.

This effort will be overseen by Honeywell, which studied the towns’
buildings to determine potential energy-savings renovations that could
be undertaken.

The majority of the project’s cost _ about $4.6 million _ would be used to make improvements to the Municipal Center. This would include upgrades to the heating system and repairs to the roof and the exterior of the building, which leaks significantly in inclement weather, Timothy McInerney has said.

The majority of the Finance Committee supported the project.