Needham closes warrant on tree bylaw, Pollard funding
Select Board · Meeting of September 8, 2026
Needham Select Board closes warrant on $325 million Pollard school and a first-ever private tree bylaw. The board voted unanimously to send both to an October 19 special town meeting, ahead of a November 3 debt-exclusion referendum on $322.7 million in Pollard Middle School construction funding, which officials say carries an effective 24.7 percent state reimbursement rate after Massachusetts School Building Authority cost caps. The proposed tree bylaw would charge builders $300 per diameter inch for protected trees removed during major construction; resident Jeff Heller told the board, "I support all of this work, and I don't think it goes far enough." The board also approved a liquor license transfer for a rebuilt Mandarin Cuisine, appointed Karen Pierce to the Park and Recreation Commission, and unanimously approved Town Manager Katie King's first-year performance evaluation.
In the full story:
- Who Was There
- Organizations And Documents Referenced
- The complete report — 4,393 words
Source: the Select Board meeting of September 8, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.
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