Needham School Building Committee unanimously approves Pollard Middle School schematic design for state submission

NEEDHAM -- June 22, 2026, Needham's School Building Committee unanimously approved submitting the Pollard Middle School schematic design to the Massachusetts School Building Authority at its June 22 meeting. The 7-0 vote clears the way for the 1,300-plus-page package, covering a 260,000-plus-square-foot building budgeted at $325.4 million, to be transmitted to the MSBA on June 25. Finance Committee representative John raised concerns that aggregate contingencies embedded in the project budget exceed $50 million when layered reserves within the $259 million construction estimate are combined with additional owner contingencies totaling roughly $24 million on top, calling for sharper scrutiny before the November 3 debt exclusion vote. PBBC member George defended the structure, citing a prior police and fire project where a politically imposed cut to contingency forced the town to seek additional funds during COVID. The MSBA reimburses at $605 per square foot against a current project cost of just under $1,000 per square foot, placing the effective reimbursement rate at an expected 20 to 25 percent of total cost, roughly in line with the Sunita Williams school's final net rate of 20 to 22 percent. A community meeting is scheduled for June 30, with a Special Town Meeting set for October 19.