Extra $10,000 Approved for High School Renovation-August 7, 1986

The Finance Commission voted 3-1 yesterday to approve an additional $10,000 payment to KL&Q Architects of Norwood to cover extended services on the long-delayed $5 million high school renovation project, whose original contract expired earlier in the spring. Work on the high school playing fields and running track has faced significant setbacks due to an ongoing dispute with the project contractor, Anchor Construction Corp. of Lowell, forcing the architectural firm to remain on-site until construction wraps up later in the year. Commission member William Plasko cast the lone dissenting vote, expressing uncertainty over whether the contract with Anchor Construction legally obliged the town to cover the extra architectural fees. However, Permanent Building Construction Committee Chairman Philip Swain reassured the board that the town retains leverage, noting that officials likely will withhold final payment from Anchor to offset delay-related costs: “They have to pay the money because they ran late with the delays. We just won’t pay if there are problems.”

In other municipal business, the commission received an encouraging update regarding public safety infrastructure from Fire Chief Thomas Barry, who confirmed that every smoke alarm system across town buildings has been thoroughly inspected and verified to be in proper working order. The review followed alarming revelations the previous week indicating that incorrect-voltage smoke alarms had been installed at the Morrill Memorial Library, which would have rendered them useless during a power failure and sparked widespread concern over similar installations in other municipal facilities. (Reporting by local archives).

Archival Note: This article has been dynamically reconstructed from the original public record print archives of the Patriot Ledger