Town Meeting Wrestles with Capital Improvement Costs

Members weigh safety upgrades against rising project costs

Reading, MA –This past Monday, Town Moderator Alan Foulds began Annual Town Meeting by reminding the assembled body of the roots of local democracy and the role Reading Town Meeting played in the beginnings of the American Revolution 250 years ago. After this, he swore in all the newly elected Town Meeting members and began the business of Town Meeting with the annual “State of the Town” address, presented by Select Board chair Christopher Haley.

In the address, Haley thanked many of the town’s leaders, specifically noting the thirty years of service by Police Chief David Clark and the nearly forty years of service for retiring Fire Chief Greg Burns. He also congratulated the newly appointed Fire Chief Richard Nelson.

“Reading is a vibrant, inclusive, and forward-thinking community,” Haley stated as he shared his goals for the coming year, including increased transparency in the Select Board. He also took time to thank those who had worked hard to bring forward initiatives on the Town Meeting warrant, including the Killam Elementary School project, the Reading Center for Active Living (ReCal) Project, the Haven Street and High Street streetscape project, and the proposed pickleball courts.

After Article three, which asks Town Meeting to consider instructional motions was laid on the table, as Town Meeting usually prefers to consider these at the end of the meeting, Town Meeting member Steven Cool moved to remove the article from the table, noting that the last two Town Meetings adjourned before considering the instructional motions. He was particularly interested in his own instructional motion regarding requesting a report from the town on foreclosed properties.

When asked, Foulds explained that taking the article off the table would allow for all six submitted instructional Motions to be considered. Town Meeting rejected the motion, voting to leave Article Three on the table.

Chief Financial Officer Sharon Angstrom explained Article Four, which includes changes to the Capital Plan, to Town Meeting, noting that it includes an additional $143,000 in Fiscal Year 2025 for a firewall upgrade, a new vehicle lift, and improvements to the traffic signal at the intersection of Salem Street and Main Street. Salem Street crosswalk improvements, initially proposed for $100,000, and design work for an upgraded turf field at Parker Middle School, initially proposed for $150,000, were proposed to be moved up into FY 2026. Angstrom explained that approving of the plan does not approve the funding. She also noted that the Finance Committee recommends allocating five percent of the annual budget for capital improvements.

Member John Sasso moved to remove the $150,000 for the Parker Turf improvements from the plan. Sasso explained that his objection was a philosophical one, in that the town was asking taxpayers to pay for several major capital projects in the coming years, and that looking for places to save would be a gesture of goodwill to them. 

It was pointed out to the members that the current field has exceeded its expected lifespan and is now becoming unsafe for players. Town Meeting member Erin Gaffen affirmed this notion. Member Linda Snow Dockser also backed the plan to replace the field for safety purposes. “We cannot seek to save the town money at the cost of safety,” Dockser added.

Town Meeting voted not to accept the amendment.

Town Meeting member Carlo Bacci offered a similar amendment asking to remove $200,000 for a facilities master plan from FY 2027. He argued that the town is seeking to embark on a comprehensive master plan in the coming months, and that the facilities master plan could be wrapped into that plan. Director of Facilities Joe Huggins explained that the facilities master plan is different from what the overall master plan intends as it acts as a roadmap for maintenance and future facilities upgrades, helping the town be proactive rather than reactive while the town’s master plan is more of a visioning document for the whole community arrived through a public process. 

This amendment was also rejected by Town Meeting, after which, Town Meeting voted to approve Article Four.

Town Meeting voted to approve Article Five, a $688,000 increase to the FY 2025 budget, which is inclusive of the changes made to the capital plan for the year. The increase will be funded from free cash reserves. Also approved by Town Meeting was Article Seven, moving $350,000 to help fund the town’s Other Post Employment Benefits Trust Fund.

By approving Article Eight, Town Meeting authorized spending from the town’s revolving funds while creating a new revolving fund for Elder and Human Services.

Town Meeting Member Melissa Murphy moved that Article 14, funding for pickleball courts on Symonds Way, be taken out of order, as many members of the pickleball community were present and several Town Meeting members who wished to weigh in on the issue would not be present when the article was scheduled to be discussed. Several Town Meeting members expressed a desire for the Killam and ReCal project discussions to occur before the pickleball discussion, and Town Meeting voted not to consider Article 14 out of order.

Articles nine and ten both offered extensions of certain tax exemptions for veterans. Town Manager Matt Kraunelis noted that the budgetary cost would be about $60,000 if both were approved. Town Meeting voted in favor of both articles. Town Meeting also voted in favor of Article Twelve, which accepted 261 square feet of sidewalk on Bolton Street. During the planning process for the renovation of the McDonald’s at 413 Main Street, it was discovered that the adjacent sidewalk was still owned by the restaurant.

Town Engineer Ryan Percival presented Article 13 to Town Meeting. This article would approve $1.4 million for improvements to the intersection of Haven Street and High Street. The total project cost is $4 million, with $2.6 million coming from a MassWorks grant. 

Percival explained that the improvements are a scaled-down version of the previously proposed $7 million project, which would provide pedestrian safety enhancements, traffic calming measures, and aesthetic improvements to the area. The funding for the proposal would come from the already borrowed funds from other completed projects, including the West Street improvement project, the Haven Street water main project, the Smart Growth stability fund, and the Sustainability account.

Town Meeting member Steven Herrick asked for assurances that, once the money is spent, the roads would not be torn up for future projects in just a few years, while member Phil Pacino questioned regarding mitigation for cost overruns on the project. Percival explained that potential cost overruns are factored into the project budget and that the water main work in the area is expected to last for many decades. He also shared that if the project were not approved, the MassWorks grant would likely be lost. Member Mark Dockser also questioned, in light of other large projects, whether this one was truly a priority for the town. 

“I cannot think of a higher priority than safety,” member Joe Carnahan argued.

Member David Talbot noted that the town “can do more than one thing at a time.” Talbot also commented on pedestrian safety concerns in the area, noting that the parking at the depot was “1950s style.” Member Jennifer Hillary also commented, “We have a responsibility as a town to keep the rest of our town functioning and safe.”

Percival noted that High Street was due for repairs, and that in and of themselves, those repairs could run close to $1 million. This prompted Bacci to note that voting for the project “gets us a $4 million project for $1.4 million.” Town Meeting then voted to approve the article.

Town Meeting adjourned at 10:20 pm and will reconvene on Thursday evening at 7:30 pm.