Pepperell Selectmen Place Regional School Renovation Project on Town Meeting Warrant

PEPPERELL — April 13, 2017 — Pepperell selectmen vote to add Hawthorne Brook Middle School renovation to town meeting warrant. The Board of Selectmen voted unanimously April 13 to insert Article 18 onto the annual town meeting warrant, authorizing Pepperell's proportional share of a $4,109,125 borrowing by the North Middlesex Regional School District for window and door replacement, structural repairs, leak remediation, and HVAC replacement at Hawthorne Brook Middle School in Townsend. Because Pepperell has approximately four students enrolled at the school, the town's estimated share is roughly $23,000 spread over 20 years — a figure small enough that the board noted it may be absorbed through annual appropriations rather than a separate debt issue. The Massachusetts School Building Authority's non-entitlement grant program could offset a portion of district costs, with any grant capped at 57.11 percent of MSBA-approved eligible expenses.