Select Board Weighs Fire Station Financing Risk

Select Board · Meeting of October 13, 2026

COHASSET — The Cohasset Select Board reviewed a $7.5 million financing plan for the Elm Street fire station renovation and clashed over an unapproved draft budget message. Vice Chair Ellen Maher warned the fire station estimate, set roughly a year ago, needs an inflation check before a 2029 construction start. Public Safety Facilities Committee member Glenn Pratt said the project depends on the police department first vacating the building and on voters passing the police station article at the October 26 special town meeting.

Separately, Chair David Farrag said he was "disappointed" that Clerk William Ashton drafted the board's fiscal 2027 budget message alone before it was shared by Cohasset News. Town Manager Michelle reported free cash certified at $3.3 million, with $3,078,000 remaining after special town meeting obligations. The board voted 5-0 on six routine items, including the December 5 special election ballot question.

In the full story:

• Licenses and Permits: Meet Santa Returns to the Harbor
• Boards and Committees: Cooney Reappointed to Votech Committee
• Department Update: South Shore Public Health Collaborative
• Election Warrants and December 5 Special Election
• Municipal Electricity Aggregation Plan Revision
• Elm Street Fire Station Renovation and Financing
• Draft Budget Message: A Process Dispute
• Town Manager Comments: Free Cash and a Regional Budgeting Model
• Who Was There
• Organizations And Documents Referenced
• The complete report: 2,313 words

Source: the Select Board meeting of October 13, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.

Checked against the record: before publication this article was automatically compared with the meeting transcript. It was corrected where it differed.