Select Board Approves Culvert Lining Waiver, Hears High School Appeal Risk

Select Board · Meeting of August 17, 2026

Lexington Select Board hears a wetlands appeal could add up to $20 million to the high school project. Town Manager Steve Bartha said a November 1 construction start, delayed by a MassDEP appeal of the Conservation Commission's wetlands order, could push completion from June to September 2029. The board voted 4-0 to approve a noise bylaw waiver for a $400,000 Grove Street culvert lining, versus a $4 million-plus excavation alternative.

Assistant Town Manager Carolyn Kosnoff said the town will sell a $125 million bond tranche next week at a rate likely above 4 percent. Food pantry manager Usha Thakur said weekly clients have grown to 550 individuals, up 200 percent since 2020, prompting a $75,000 state-funded search for new space. "It just touches me to know that this is Lexington," said Vice Chair Vineeta A. Kumar.

In the full story:

• Public Comment: Wetlands Appeal and Battle Green Signage
• High School Project Appeal: DEP Wetlands Review Threatens Delay
• Consent Agenda
• Noise Bylaw Special Permit: Grove Street Culvert Lining
• Food Pantry Seeks New Home as Need Nearly Quadruples
• High School Project Dashboard Update
• High School Project Financing: First $125 Million Bond Tranche
• Trash and Recycling Collection Program Options
• Eye on Water Monitoring Program Nears Milestone
• Who Was There
• Organizations And Documents Referenced
• The complete report: 4,022 words

Source: the Select Board meeting of August 17, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.

Checked against the record: before publication this article was automatically compared with the meeting transcript.