Sewerage still a hitch as amenities building is back in the pipeline
After two years, a failed Town Meeting push, and a ballot box rejection, school officials aren’t giving up hope.
After two years, a failed Town Meeting push, and a ballot box rejection, school officials aren’t giving up hope on a bathroom building at Acton-Carlisle High School.
They also still haven’t ironed out how to make the toilets flush.
Community Preservation Committee Chair Eve Isenberg said the School Committee “has done a good job of hunting down other sources of funding and has seemed to come up empty-handed.”
Following this summer’s special election loss, Isenberg said, “it does seem like we are the last resource.”
High school administrators applied for $1.42 million in CPC cash last month.
Officials faced the panel October 7 and fielded tough questions about their sewer situation. Schools Superintendent Laurie Hunter acknowledged staff haven’t confirmed whether they can connect to the town system.
CPC Vice Chair Diane Proctor said these are “cart and horse issues for me.”
Even if CPC greenlights the request, it would need Town Meeting approval. Select Board member Mary Hartman said she wants to see public works staff “on board” before the issue comes before Town Meeting.
Long history
A permanent amenities building would replace portable toilets at Memorial Field, bringing the stadium up to state code and boosting accessibility.
Officials scrubbed one proposal before Town Meeting in 2024 over cost concerns. School leaders produced a cheaper plan for 2025 — but missed a deadline for CPC funding and had to ask Acton taxpayers to foot the town’s full share of the bill.
Proponents now want to fund the bulk of the project through new Acton and Carlisle CPC requests.
School Committee member Brian Waterson told Acton’s panel that he’s “confident on the Carlisle side” after that community backed a similar $432,345 request earlier this year.
That puts the project’s fate again in Acton’s hands, where the request is the largest of 17 applications in the current CPC cycle.
The panel won’t know until next month how much cash it has to spend. But Isenberg said it won’t be enough to cover all the requests, which total more than $5 million.
FY ’27 CPC funding requests
Acton-Carlisle High School: $1.42 million — Amenities building
Acton Municipal Affordable Housing Trust: $785,500 — Funding affordable housing trust to implement housing production plan
Thoreau Farm Trust: $600,000 — Creation of new Thoreau Farm Trail
Town of Acton: $500,000 — Conservation fund
Town of Acton: $497,153 — Rideout Park courts renovation
Town of Acton: $490,570 — Creation of new Assabet River Bridge
Wright Tavern: $250,000 — Electrical upgrades, heat pump installation
Town of Acton: $100,000 — MCI-Acton/West Acton historic preservation survey
Town of Acton: $56,000 — Housing production plan
Acton Art Association: $50,605 — Community garden rehabilitation and restoration
Acton Free Public Library: $50,000 — Storm window installation
Acton Museum: $50,000 — Emerson’s Study exhibit window replacement
Town of Acton: $50,000 — Administrative support for the CPC
Town of Acton: $39,000 — Participation in Regional Housing Service Program
Town of Acton: $36,000 — Conservation and digitization of town record books
Acton Free Public Library Corp.: $27,975 — Digitization, rehousing, and conservation of surveys by Henry David Thoreau
Acton Scout House: $20,000 — Exterior preservation
Note: Many CPC projects are multi-year efforts receiving funding from multiple sources.
Source: Applications to Acton Community Preservation Committee
Sewer questions
The Bridge contacted Hunter, Regional School Committee Chair Tracey Marano, and a district PR firm with questions. None responded before The Bridge’s press deadline.
In addition to CPC requests, Assistant Superintendent of Finance and Operations Robert Conry told Acton panelists that the high school has $350,000 reserved for a possible sewer connection fee and cost overruns. He said CCHS is also pursuing other grants.
Proctor asked school officials whether they’re “wedded” to their plan for a concrete building with 16 toilets. While a prefab would be cheaper in the short term, Waterson noted its 10-year lifespan. The concrete building could last 50 years.
As for sewerage, the town has little capacity to add connections. Hunter said staff think a hookup is still possible, but the Public Works Commission wasn’t sold earlier this year, and the district opted to delay follow-up work until the rest of the project is funded.
“We don’t want to keep spending money that might not ever turn into a building,” Hunter said.
Beyond bathrooms
CPC money comes from a set property tax surcharge and a state contribution. Other funding requests range from a new paint job at the Acton Scout House to the digitization of Henry David Thoreau’s land and property surveys.
The second-largest request is $785,000 for the Municipal Affordable Housing Trust to add affordable housing.
Eight of 17 applications are for historical preservation efforts, up from only two last year.
CPC members are expected to discuss the amenities application next month. Town Meeting is scheduled for April.
