Brookline parents press Select Board to keep Pierce School demolition on schedule amid notice dispute

Chair Bernard Green opened the meeting by addressing the Pierce School project and announcing that items 3C–3G would be pulled from tonight’s consent agenda after a question was raised about the Building Commission’s meeting notice. “The building commission will hold another meeting at a future date to revote these items and the Pierce School early demolition package,” Green said, adding that the Select Board will hold a public hearing with the Park and Recreation and Conservation commissions beforehand.

Multiple parents used the public-comment period to press the board for clarity and adherence to the demolition and swing-space timeline. Susie Ma, a Pierce parent, said she and others were “frustrated” after the Building Commission failed to release demolition funding at its March 12 meeting and emphasized that 674 Pierce students and their families “do not know where we are going to school next year.” Jeff Rudolph, a town-meeting member and Pierce parent, described the project as “very complex” and urged officials to ensure notices and votes are properly worded so subsequent meetings are valid and the project stays on track.

Town Administrator Carrie Chaz said the pause reflected an abundance of caution about whether agenda language complied with open-meeting requirements and that the Building Commission plans to correct the notice and revote. Finance Director Lincoln Heinemann and other board members stressed the importance of clear agendas and called for training and consistent notice practices for boards and commissions.

The board emphasized its goal of avoiding delays that would affect students and future school projects. Chair Green reiterated the town’s hope that demolition could begin around July 1, 2024, if votes are properly noticed and the necessary unanimous approvals from the Park & Recreation and Conservation commissions are secured.

The Select Board did not make a final decision on the Pierce demolition tonight: it removed the questioned items from tonight’s consent actions and said they will be taken up at a future meeting after the Building Commission revotes.