Select Board Backs Broad Buildings Committee to Weigh $60M-Plus DPW Project

MAYNARD -- July 1, 2025, Maynard Select Board agrees to pursue a municipal buildings committee rather than move directly on a $60-78 million DPW facility. Meeting Tuesday, the board reached informal consensus to form a committee that would assess all major town building needs, roofs at the library and Fowler School, the proposed Department of Public Works facility, and other structures, rather than hiring a standalone project manager for the DPW project alone. Member Jeffrey Swanberg argued that retaining a project manager would send the wrong message to residents just weeks after a Proposition 2 1/2 override, saying flatly, "I don't think this community would ever be ready to vote yes on $60 million DPW." Board Chair David Gavin relayed a proposal from an absent member to model the new group on the Capital Planning Committee but focused solely on buildings. The board also unanimously appointed Joe Graham, a Maynard Youth Soccer board member and 13-year resident, to a vacancy on the Recreation Commission.