# Select Board - 10/14/26

The October 14, 2026 Westwood Select Board meeting focused on the proposed Fire Station 1 project, town finances, and several policy matters. Project representatives reported that site investigations found expected adverse soil conditions, which are accounted for in the proposed budget. The Finance and Warrant Commission had unanimously approved Article 1, which would appropriate $39,980,000 for the project; approval is still subject to a two-thirds vote at the October 26 special town meeting and a majority vote on the November 3 ballot. If approved, the project would proceed through an estimated eight to ten months of design, permitting, and construction procurement before construction, currently anticipated for fall/winter 2027. The Board discussed the facility’s size and firefighter training space, and emphasized that public input will continue during design development. No construction contract or vendor was awarded at this meeting.

The finance director reported that FY2026 closed in a sound position: local receipts exceeded budget by $3.9 million, certified free cash was $12.4 million, and capital and transfer articles totaled just over $9 million, nearly all spent or committed. FY2028 operating and capital budget planning is beginning, including discussion of a draft capital and tax-mitigation stabilization policy; the Board gave feedback but took no adoption action. The Board unanimously adopted a town-counsel access policy for coordinating legal services from KP Law, with a one-year review date. It also recognized Westwood’s 2026 Mass Save Impact Award and discussed prior energy-supply contracting, but no new energy contract action was taken.

**Jurisdictions:** sled
**Industries:** Construction & Infrastructure, Energy & Utilities
**Topics:** Physical Infrastructure
**Published:** October 14, 2026

### Sources
- [Select Board - 10/14/26](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmdAxx-uLd4) - Westwood Media Center Programming