Finance Committee recommends $6.3M in school roof projects, splits on Hosmer House

SUDBURY -- March 24, 2025, Sudbury Finance Committee backs $6.3M in school roofs but rejects Fairbank landscape plan. Meeting March 24 ahead of the May 5 Annual Town Meeting, the committee unanimously recommended Article 40 ($3,530,000 for Haynes Elementary) and Article 41 ($2,755,000 for Nixon Elementary) as "earmarked" votes tied to a minimum 31 percent MSBA reimbursement, despite lacking firm bid numbers. Co-Chair Michael Joachim and Town Manager Andy Sheehan said the schematic design timeline likely pushes MSBA approval to August 27, with a 90-day local funding deadline that would otherwise force a fall town meeting. The committee deferred Article 27, the specialized stretch energy code, after member Henry Sorett called it "an unmitigated disaster" projecting $50,000-plus renovation cost increases, while Andrew Bettinelli countered the impact was "remote and speculative." On a 6-3 vote, the committee recommended $250,720 from free cash for an SPS ELA curriculum (Article 37), and rejected, 4-5, a $500,000 Fairbank Community Center and Haskell Field landscape master plan.