===PAGE 1=== Select Board Meeting Minutes February 24, 2026 Page 1 of 3 Town of Lunenburg Select Board Meeting Minutes Zoom Only Tuesday, February 24, 2026 Members Present: Chair Caesar Nuzzolo, Vice-Chair Amanda Moore, Clerk Renee Emkey, Member Brian Lehtinen, and Member Glenn McLeod Members Absent: none Also Present: Jennifer Warren-Dyment, Town Manager I. CALL TO ORDER AND PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE Chair Caesar Nuzzolo called the Select Board meeting to order at 6:30 PM on Tuesday, February 24, 2026. The meeting was held via Zoom only. Chair Nuzzolo advised those present that the meeting was being recorded and broadcast live over the Lunenburg Public Access Channel on Facebook Live, and would be uploaded to the Lunenburg Access YouTube Channel following the meeting. II. OLD BUSINESS 1) Request For Legislative Earmarks In The FY27 State Budget Discussion on requesting legislative earmarks in the upcoming FY27 state budget. Chair Nuzzolo opened the discussion by noting that, following outreach to Representative Scarsdale, the timeline for submitting legislative earmark requests was shorter than previously understood, with a deadline at the end of the month. Chair Nuzzolo presented an initial list of proposals drawn from the Town's Capital projects and invited input from Select Board members and Town Manager Jennifer Warren-Dyment. Initial Proposals and Discussion Chair Nuzzolo presented two items previously identified: Fire Department radio upgrades ($45,000) and the Primary School playground design ($30,000), noting that the Adult Activity Center ramp had been removed from consideration. Chair Nuzzolo further proposed two additional items from the Capital Plan for discussion: Public Safety Building boiler upgrades ($115,000) and Fitzgerald Field improvements ($55,600). Clerk Renee Emkey proposed adding intercom upgrades for Turkey Hill and the Primary School, referencing a Capital planning figure of approximately $24,044. Town Manager Warren-Dyment clarified that, following communication with the Superintendent, the actual remaining need for the intercoms had been reduced to $12,500, as one unit had already been funded through a FY26 security earmark. She further noted that approximately $9,000 could be used to fund two-way radios for security at the Middle/High School, and suggested bundling these items together under a general school security communications upgrade, for a combined total of approximately $22,000. Member Glenn McLeod expressed a preference for drawing requests strictly from the Capital ===PAGE 2=== Select Board Meeting Minutes February 24, 2026 Page 2 of 3 planning list, emphasizing items that represented a tangible net gain for the Town rather than items that were merely desirable. He indicated support for the boiler, the Fire Department radios, and the Primary School entrance project. Chair Nuzzolo noted that the Primary School entryway was anticipated to be funded through the Capital Plan pending the Annual Town Meeting vote, and that the playground design had not made it into the Capital Plan rankings which was the reason it was being put forward as an earmark request. Town Manager Warren-Dyment affirmed that there was a logical sequence of operations between the entryway and playground projects, but expressed confidence that the timeline could be managed within FY27, assuming the entryway design commenced in July. Regarding the boiler upgrades, Clerk Emkey raised concern about whether a project exceeding the recommended limit, she recalled the guidance as $70,000, might be perceived as routine maintenance and therefore less competitive for funding. Town Manager Warren-Dyment acknowledged the concern but indicated that the recommended limits were not hard and fast, citing past earmarks of $100,000 and $195,000. She advised that the boiler request would need to be framed around firefighter decontamination and public safety rather than routine infrastructure replacement. Member Brian Lehtinen suggested the Select Board could request a partial amount, with the Town funding the remainder. Chair Nuzzolo agreed this was worth considering and expressed support for including the boiler given its critical public safety dimension. Finalizing the List Chair Nuzzolo noted that Fitzgerald Field improvements were removed from consideration, as that item had been offered as a preliminary idea to generate discussion. The Select Board reached consensus to focus on the remaining four items. Town Manager Warren-Dyment clarified that the Fire Department radios were not on the current Capital Plan; rather, they represented completion of a broader radio replacement effort that had begun with ARPA funds, with the Chief having pursued incremental replacements through his operating budget. Vice-Chair Amanda Moore inquired how many requests could be submitted. Town Manager Warren-Dyment confirmed that Representative Scarsdale's request called for one to three projects. Given that limit, the Select Board agreed to remove the school security communications bundle (item four) and proceed with three requests. Prioritization The Select Board discussed the order of priority. Clerk Emkey recommended placing the boiler upgrades first, noting that if it were ranked lower, it was unlikely to be funded at all. Member McLeod agreed, suggesting boiler upgrades first and Fire Department radios second. Member Lehtinen observed that legislators would ultimately make their own determinations, but was supportive of the proposed order. Vice-Chair Moore advocated for prioritizing school safety and security above the playground, though she acknowledged the playground had merit. Member Lehtinen noted that the playground had been on the list for some time, represented a larger funding ask, and that the school security items could more readily be addressed through other means if the earmark was not received. Chair Nuzzolo concurred and proposed the following final prioritized list: ● Public Safety Building boiler upgrades: $115,000 (to be framed around firefighter decontamination and public safety) ===PAGE 3=== Select Board Meeting Minutes February 24, 2026 Page 3 of 3 ● Fire Department radio upgrades: $45,000 ● Primary school playground design: $30,000 The Select Board agreed that Town Manager Warren-Dyment would prepare strong written justifications for each request prior to submission. Chair Nuzzolo confirmed that the earmark requests would be sent to the full legislative delegation, noting that communication should not be limited to Representative Scarsdale alone, as experience had shown that information shared with one representative does not always reach others. Chair Nuzzolo also briefly noted that a separate supplemental budget request for the Flat Hill project was already in progress, with Representative Scarsdale leading advocacy given her position on the Ways and Means Committee. Motion to approve the prioritized list of FY27 legislative earmark requests as presented was made by Select Board Member Brian Lehtinen and seconded by Select Board Member Amanda Moore. Roll call vote: Member McLeod-Aye, Member Lehtinen-Aye, Clerk Emkey- Aye, Vice-Chair Moore-Aye, Chair Nuzzolo-Aye. The motion passed unanimously (5-0-0). III. ADJOURNMENT Motion by Member Lehtinen to adjourn at 6:58 PM. Seconded by Vice-Chair Moore. Roll call vote: Member McLeod-Aye, Member Lehtinen-Aye, Clerk Emkey-Aye, Vice-Chair Moore- Aye, Chair Nuzzolo-Aye. The motion passed unanimously (5-0-0). Respectfully Submitted, Renee Emkey These Minutes were reviewed and approved by the Select Board on: Tuesday, August 18, 2026