Littleton School Committee votes to authorize LHS invasive plant removal project

LITTLETON — January 9, 2025 — Littleton School Committee unanimously backs student-led native plant project at high school. The committee voted Thursday to authorize the LHS Environmental Club to remove 25 invasive burning bush plants and Bradford pear trees from two areas of the high school campus, a step required before the town highway department would participate in the work. Student presenters Raquel Rodriguez and Caitlin St. Jolly outlined plans to replace the invasives with native pollinator plants, developed with input from a local ecologist; seed sowing in the planter boxes would cost nothing, while a native shrub border along the building entrance may require nursery purchases and a future funding request. Superintendent Kelly Clenchy reported the district's Shaker Lane School Preferred Schematic Report is under MSBA review, with a 20-minute project presentation scheduled for January 29 and an MSBA vote on advancing the project set for February 25, and that soil testing has revealed an opportunity to rotate the proposed building 60 degrees to improve daylighting and solar readiness. Business Manager Steve Martin told the committee mid-year finances are stable with no budget concerns.