Board delays Chenery roof funding as cost hits $7.5M
Select Board · Meeting of September 21, 2026
Belmont Select Board delays funding for a Chenery Middle School roof after its cost estimate jumped to $7.5 million. Town Administrator Patrice Garvin said the new figure, up from an earlier $4 million to $6 million estimate, makes it "almost impossible" to fund from reserves alone; the town anticipates a $2.4 million MSBA reimbursement, leaving roughly $5.2 million to borrow. The board unanimously ratified a memorandum of agreement with the Belmont Police Patrolmen's Association creating a $30-per-week stipend tied to state POST standards.
Precinct 2 Town Meeting member Kathy Cohane pressed the board on an unfinished town clerk job description, last updated in 2011, while member Matt Taylor countered that "there is strong alignment on the compensation front." The board also heard the Library Building Committee will borrow about $900,000 less than the project's $39.5 million budget, and Garvin waived her unanimously approved 1.5 percent merit increase, redirecting it to police and fire union negotiations.
In the full story:
- Who Was There
- Organizations And Documents Referenced
- The complete report — 2,944 words
Source: the Select Board meeting of September 21, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.
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