Littleton Select Board appoints two officers, promotes sergeant, opens school contracts

LITTLETON -- February 9, 2026, Littleton Select Board approves police promotions, school contracts, and town meeting warrant in unanimous sweep. The five-member board, meeting at full strength for the first time in months, voted 5-0 on every substantive item at its February 9 session. Police Chief Matthew Pinard introduced new officers Jonathan Proia and Steve McAvey, Proia a former dispatcher now at the Nashoba Valley Police Academy, McAvey a 16-year Town Fair Tire manager heading to the Holyoke academy March 2, and saw veteran officer Brian Casey sworn in as sergeant after 18 years with the department, during which he created the town's K-9 program. Elder and Human Services Director Liz Tretiak won board approval to raise the Senior Tax Work-Off Program cap from $1,500 to $2,000 annually, effective July 1, 2026, funded through the Assessor's Overlay account. Town Administrator James Duggan was authorized to sign $400,000 in Notices to Proceed for Turner and Townsend Heery ($50,000), Studio G Architects ($150,000), and Gilbane Building Company ($200,000) for the Shaker Lane Elementary School design and preconstruction phase. The board also opened the May 5, 2026 Annual Town Meeting warrant by roll-call vote, with a closing deadline of noon March 23; Duggan noted the town's town meeting survey had already drawn 253 responses. A contentious discussion on whether residents should have limited access to Town Counsel for drafting citizen petition articles ended without a vote, with members Rambacher and Nordhaus tasked with drafting revised guardrails.