# Town Meeting: Fall Day One – October 19, 2026


**Body:** Chelmsford TV
**Date:** October 18, 2026
**Jurisdiction:** SLED

**Tags:** Construction & Infrastructure, Education, Physical Infrastructure, Grants & Funding


Chelmsford Fall Town Meeting, October 19, 2026: Officials reviewed approximately $2.3 million in certified free cash and presented an update on the proposed Parker Middle School project. The school project was not up for a vote at this meeting; the schematic design and cost estimate were scheduled for submission to the Massachusetts School Building Authority, with a later special town meeting expected to consider authorization. The current estimate is $256.7 million, including an anticipated $111.2 million MSBA grant, a $145.5 million district share before incentives, and about $7.4 million in rebates and tax credits. Officials also outlined a five-year forecast, including a projected $3.8 million FY2028 budget gap and rising pension and health-insurance costs.

Town Meeting approved several spending measures, including $50,000 for Hart Pond Cemetery improvements; $95,547 for the sewer construction stabilization fund; $150,000 for Town Common walkway construction; $40,000 for a second phase of the front-yard tree program; and $85,000 for Freeman Lake valve work. For the valve project, design services had been solicited from several firms, and construction is expected to go through a sealed-bid process. The meeting also approved $844,352 for the general stabilization fund and Community Preservation Act appropriations of $150,000 toward renovations at 79 Groton Road and $460,000 toward a 50-unit senior affordable-housing development at 255 Princeton Street. A proposed committee to study a parks and recreation department was rejected. The meeting passed a bylaw restricting certain black plastic food-service containers, a policy change affecting food-service establishments. Zoning articles remained for the next session.

**Source:** Chelmsford TV