MERSD-Essex School Building Committee Meeting | October 27, 2026

The Essex Elementary School Building Committee met on October 27, 2026, to review project finances, invoices, and preparation for upcoming town and debt-exclusion votes. The committee approved three invoices following a recommendation from staff; the transcript identifies Consigli invoice #2 for $6,847.83 and Doran Whittier invoice #19, but the amounts for that invoice and the third invoice are unclear. The feasibility-study budget increased from $1.5 million to $1.8 million after the MSBA approved an additional $300,000. Members were told that unused feasibility-study funds may later be transferred to other project costs and that construction-line budgets will be developed as the project advances toward bidding.

The committee discussed the financial and schedule consequences if the December votes fail and the project must return for a spring vote. The presentation estimated roughly $4.5 million in total project-cost escalation from a year’s delay, including about $515,000 for extended project-team services; approximately $550,000 would need to be appropriated to cover services from December to May. The discussion also covered potential early-release purchases of long-lead equipment and early construction work, including foundations, concrete, and steel. The remainder of the meeting focused on public outreach and explaining project costs, MSBA reimbursement, and the comparison with Memorial School; no new construction contract award was made.