Hopkinton To Hold Special Town Meeting On Marathon School Addition

HOPKINTON, MA - The Hopkinton Select Board on Tuesday night unanimously voted for a Special Town Meeting to be held on Thursday, August 18 to address the need for $850,000 in additional funding for the addition to the Marathon Elementary School.

The May 2021 Annual Town Meeting approved a $1 million feasibility study for what was then a $3,625,000 project for four additional classrooms to accommodate the increasing student population. The school for children in pre-kindergarten through first grade originally opened in 2018 with the capacity for 600 children. Last year, there were 620 students, some of whom attended class in health and art rooms.

Phil Columbo, the owner's project manager, explained that the design budget process had three phases. In the first phase, the project was over budget by $695,000, which was requested through the School Committee to cover construction and furniture budget deficits as well a contingency fee.

For the second phase, the project is over budget by approximately $140,000, which he attributed to rising costs. This amount was deducted from the furniture budget. The third phase, over budget by $350,000, was taken from the furniture and contingency budgets so that construction could move forward. But money is still needed to address the shortfall for furniture and contingencies.

Six contractors bid on the project last month, Columbo explained. They have agreed to honor their bids through August, which is why there is a sense of urgency for town approval for additional funding.

"Truthfully, without that additional funding going through, we simply don't have the money to start the project," he said of the $850,000.

The lowest bid, submitted by Mill City Construction, is for $3,995,152.

If the vote were to be delayed until the next Annual Town Meeting in the spring, the contractors said their bids would likely increase by at least 10%. If the construction process were postponed until the spring, that would cost an additional $600,000, according to estimates.

Select Board Chair Amy Ritterbusch noted that it costs about $6,000 to hold a Special Town Meeting. A quorum of 128 Town Meeting members would be needed, which Select Board member Muriel Kramer said would be challenging during the summer.

"It's going to be a full-court press to bring all your friends and your adult children," she said.

Attaining a quorum was challenging during all three nights of the spring's Annual Town Meeting, when one vote had to be held until the next evening.

The warrant will be open until July 27 and then signed by the Select Board at its Aug. 2 meeting. Any additional articles would need to be submitted to the Town Manager's office or the Select Board by 4:30 p.m. on July 27.

The source of the funding would be addressed later in the process, according to Town Manager Norman Khumalo, with one potential source being money allocated to the town through the Legacy Farms development agreement.