School Committee mulls new vote on bathrooms after election loss

Fresh off a ballot box defeat, school leaders are raising the possibility of a new election to win support for a bathroom building at Acton-Carlisle High School.

School Committee Chair Tracey Marano broached the idea Wednesday night while lamenting a pre-election error in a voter information packet.

“I don’t know if there will be another election, or if we can ask for that,” Marano said, later saying, “I don’t think it’s off the table; I don’t think it’s on the table yet.” 

But fellow committee member Michael Williams tried to pump the brakes. “There’s something I find troubling about questioning the vote,” he said.  

Marano called the situation “a predicament.” 

“It’s disappointing,” she said, but “I certainly respect the votes that voters took with the information they were given.”

The committee will convene Monday to draft a letter to the Select Board with concerns about the creation of the mailer. The Select Board could weigh in Monday night. In general, Town Clerk Kaari Mai Tari said the Select Board has the authority to call elections under state law. 

Special election voters backed a $27.5 million five-year spending surge for road maintenance. They rebuffed a $1.42 million request for Acton’s share of the CCHS amenities building. Both proposals were structured to have the town take on debt and pay it back with taxes.

School Committee members said they still support the bathrooms, which would bring CCHS’ Memorial Field stadium into compliance with the federal Americans with Disabilities Act and the state plumbing code. 

Marano led the charge in demanding answers after the townwide election mailer erroneously claimed the bathrooms would cost $271 per household per year for 10 years. In reality, the average projected cost was $27.10.

School administrators are now working toward a September deadline for Community Preservation Act grant applications as another way to get funding. 

Public process 

Road spending supporters said years of deferred maintenance caused a backlog. The multimillion-dollar package aims to avoid more expensive future repairs. Officials say this plan is a chance for pedestrian and bike safety upgrades, and climate-conscious Concordians say it could lessen car traffic.

“Now the real work begins,” Public Works Director Alan Cathcart told The Acton Bridge in a Wednesday morning interview. 

Advocates have highlighted bike and pedestrian problem spots around town. Cathcart warned that incoming cash won’t cover every request, and he has previewed a public process to vet projects. 

‘Embarrassed and disappointed’

Voters approved the roads money 64% to 36%, unofficial results showed. The amenities building failed with 43% voting “yes” and 57% voting “no.” Both measures passed at Town Meeting in June.

The “no” vote marked the latest setback for the bathroom project. Officials previously hoped to propose the plan at Town Meeting 2024, but went back to the drawing board after pushback over the cost. 

The schools brought a cheaper plan to this year’s Town Meeting but couldn’t find money to help offset the tax burden after missing a CPA deadline. 

Late questions surfaced around a proposed sewer connection, and leaders entered the summer without a solution. 

“The Americans with Disabilities Act was signed into law 35 years ago, and I am embarrassed and disappointed that voters voted against ADA compliant restrooms,” Marano said via email. 

School Committee member Sandeep Pisharody said he “didn’t think it was fathomable” for the amenities building proposal to fail. 

“Many elections have gone not the way I think these days,” he said.

Carlisle questions

In an email to The Bridge, Marano insisted the mailer error “certainly had an impact on the results.”

Marano said 722 votes were cast before the corrected mailing went out. The amenities question failed by 386 votes, according to unofficial results.

Williams said the School Committee should pursue a “plan B” and apply for CPA funding. Though this should be a focus, he said, the committee could still write a letter to the Select Board, talk with town and school legal counsel, and gauge “what our municipal leaders think and feel about the situation.”

Community Preservation Committee members discussed the amenities building before rejecting the high school’s late funding application on procedural grounds. Though they wouldn’t guarantee support, members were warm to the project if the school applied on time in a future grant cycle.

This year’s CPA deadline is September 19. Schools Superintendent Laurie Hunter told the School Committee she would start working on the district’s application to ensure staff aren’t rushing to complete it on time. Committee members supported the plan.

If the School Committee opts against applying, she said, “we will understand.” 

Carlisle approved its share of the larger $1.85 million project but made its allocation contingent upon Acton’s approval. Carlisle’s appropriation expires at the end of August. Voters there will gather for a Town Meeting in November.

“I don’t really want to take it back to Carlisle” until Acton has more certainty about its plan, committee member Brian Waterson said.

Debt worries

Critics of both ballot measures cited Acton’s current tax burden. Finance Committee member Eric Dahlberg, who wrote the argument against the roads money for the voter information packet, said he respects Tuesday’s result. Still, he’s worried extra debt from the roads plan “will further erode our already precarious financial position.”

Dahlberg emphasized that he gave his opinion on his own behalf — not as a member of the FinCom. 

FinCom Chair Lois Wasoff said the panel plans to discuss Acton’s debt situation on August 28.