The Needham School Committee will hold a special virtual meeting Tuesday, July 28, at 3:30 p.m. to vote on a multi-party agreement governing the use of Warner Field, the athletic field adjacent to the Pollard Middle School site where the town's $325.4 million school construction project is planned.

The Memorandum of Agreement involves four town bodies: the Select Board, the School Committee, the Park and Recreation Commission, and the Permanent Public Building Committee. The Town Clerk's Office posted the meeting notice Friday, July 24, at 11:35 a.m. The draft MOA's specific terms have not been made publicly available ahead of the meeting.

The meeting agenda is narrow: call to order, review and discussion of the draft MOA, a vote on approval, and adjournment.

The vote comes as the Pollard project moves on a tight timeline toward a November 3 debt exclusion override vote. Warner Field is part of the project's geothermal drilling plan, with well installation scheduled for the first six months of construction. According to the project's construction timeline presented at a community meeting, the field and adjacent parking lots would not be restored until fall 2031, with the full project wrapping up in January 2032.

The broader Pollard project is moving through a series of critical milestones. The School Building Committee submitted a 1,600-page schematic design to the Massachusetts School Building Authority on June 25. A scope and budget conference is set for Wednesday, August 12, ahead of the MSBA's Wednesday, August 26, vote on the project. Town Meeting is scheduled to authorize the debt on Monday, October 19.

Town officials have estimated MSBA reimbursement at between $65 million and $80 million, covering roughly 20 to 25 percent of total project costs. If the override fails, Superintendent Dan Gutekanst has said the district would be forced to repair the existing Pollard building at an estimated cost of $167 million with no MSBA reimbursement.

"I shudder to think what will happen if the override does not pass," School Committee Chair Alisa Skatrud said at a June 30 community meeting. "Plan B is not pretty and, frankly, is more expensive."

The July 28 meeting will be held via Zoom. The webinar link is https://needham-k12-ma-us.zoom.us/j/86435784178, with Webinar ID 864 3578 4178.