Building Committee

On August 28, 2023, the Select Board voted to create an Ad Hoc Building Committee. 

See charge here :  Ad Hoc Building Committee Charge

Appointed Committee Members

Member Position Term
Alan Leao Member June 30, 2024
Patrick McNabb Member June 30, 2024
Robert Cataldo Member June 30, 2024
VACANT   June 30, 2024
VACANT   June 30, 2024
VACANT   June 30, 2024
VACANT   June 30, 2024





Proposed Public Safety Building Debt Exclusion Information

June 12, 2023 Special Ballot asks voters to approve a debt exclusion for construction of a public safety facility as described elsewhere on this web page. Here are links to the 2023 Annual Town Meeting presentation, answers to frequently asked questions, and the financing summary. 

The financing is estimated as follows:  $37,235,000.00 at 5% over 30 years.  It is estimated that if in place today it would increase the tax rate by $1.16 (from $15.14 to $16.30 per thousand).  The actual impact will depend on when the borrowing occurs and the actual interest rate and terms.  The cost is based on an April 2023 bid and includes all construction and furnishing costs.

The Town has voted at three town meetings to move this project forward.  

  • At 2021 Annual Town Meeting, $180,000 of initial funding from free cash was appropriated to hire an Owner's Project Manager and an architect to begin preliminary site and design planning. 
  • At 2022 Annual Town Meeting, federal funding from ARPA, previously approved by the Select Board, was endorsed by the voters to bring the schematic plans to detailed designs and construction bidding.
  • At 2023 Annual Town Meeting the voters approved the $37,235,000 debt exclusion warrant article. This is subject to a ballot vote on June 12, 2023.

Since forming in early 2020, the Building Committee has moved the process forward to explore plans to improve opur public safety facilities. These efforts reviewed renovation, new construction, explored site alternatives, and ultimately established business requirements leading to the design work. 

Ten public presentations have been held on the progress.  Summaries of them are linked below and recorded versions are available on the Pepperell Community Media Video on Demand Service, here: Castus VOD Widget 




Since the  2022 Annual Town Meeting approved the request to create detailed designs and construction bid documents, the Building Committee, Owner's Project Manager, and Architect have been very busy. 

On September 13, 2022 a progress report was provided with detailed designs nearing completion. A slide presentation is available below and a recording of the meeting will be posted on Pepperell Community Media's video on demand service in the near future.  

In October, at Civic Engagement Night, a brief synopsis of our efforts was also provided.

On December 13th, at 7 pm in the Albert Harris Center, an in-person presentation will be made to update the community on our progress.  We are currently at 75% of detailed design and will be completing the designs in December.  In the new year, the project will be put out to bid in time for an Annual Time Meeting vote on financing construction. 

The committee is planning additional presentations in winter and spring 2023 in advance of the Town Meeting.  Presentations were also made on February 23, 2023., virtually, March 16, 2023 at the Albert Harris Center, and on April 22, 2023 at the Jersey Street fire station site.

In addition to the information available on this page, all public presentations have been recorded and are available on the Pepperell Community Media video on demand site, accessible here:  Castus VOD Widget


There is also information available at https://pepperellproject.com 

Architectural renderings of the proposed Public safety facility are being sent to professional cost estimators in late March 2022.  Estimates are expected in late-April 2022.

Older versions of the schematic planning: 

View the need for a Public Safety facility analysis

Contact Information

If you have a question for the Public Building Committee please utilize this online form, please include your contact information as the form doesn't capture your information. You may also contact the Building Committee directly by email: buildcomm@town.pepperell.ma.us   

January 2020 - June 2023 Building Committee Members ( This committee has been disbanded)

NAME POSITION TERM END
Joseph LoBuono Citizen Representative  
Catherine Lundeen Chair / Citizen Representative  
David Querze Citizen Representative
Taya Dixon Clerk / Capital Program Committee Representative  
Chief Brian Borneman Fire Department Representative  
Chief David Scott Police Department Representative  
David Stairs Communications Department Representative  
Andrew MacLean Facilities Department Representative  

The Town is reviewing the conditions of all its buildings and in particular the police station, both fire stations, the DPW Highway facility, the Peter Fitzpatrick School, and Town Hall. There is extensive deferred maintenance in each location and determining whether to repair, renovate, or replace these properties will require effort and advice from across the community.

This committee will be made up of citizens and staff members and will have calendar year, appointments.

If you are interested in serving on the Building Committee please utilize this form to submit your application.

Owner's Project Manager Selection

The Owner's Project Manager (OPM) is critical to a successful construction project. Required under state law for construction projects exceeding $1.5 Million dollars, the OPM provides critical services to support the Town in decision making regarding defining business requirements, site selection, designer selection, contracting, verifying credentials of contractors, etc.  Perhaps most importantly, the OPM provides services the town will have difficulty conducting on its own and can therefore keep a project moving efficiently and effectively - saving the community real money in projects of this scale. 


Building Committee Documents

Agendas & Minutes

Agendas are available prior to meetings. Minutes are available upon approval. Official signed copies of Select Board minutes may be obtained from the office of the Select Board.

Most Recent Agenda | View All Agendas and Minutes