Ware Select Board backs pool design study, rejects three vehicle purchases

Select Board · Meeting of March 10, 2026

Ware Select Board recommends pool design study and $300,000 school chiller supplement ahead of special town meeting. Meeting jointly with Finance Committee and Town Moderator Kathleen Cologne on Tuesday, the board voted 3-0 with two abstentions to recommend a $90,000 free-cash appropriation — combined with $30,000 from Parks Commission trust funds — to design and engineer a replacement for the long-closed Reed Memorial Pool and a new splash pad. The board also voted 4-1 with one abstention to recommend a $300,000 supplement for a school chiller at Ware Junior Senior High School after bids came in at $550,000 against an earlier $250,000 estimate; Town Manager Stuart Golds warned the awarded bid could be lost if the article failed.

Three vehicle purchase articles totaling $185,000 — a police cruiser, a water department truck, and a DPW administrative vehicle — were rejected unanimously, with members citing a policy that such purchases belong in the annual operating budget. Several reserve-fund transfer articles were tabled because fiscal year 2026 free cash has not yet been certified by the state, placing the February 2 special town meeting itself in jeopardy.

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Source: the Select Board meeting of March 10, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.