Littleton Select Board Flags Oversight Failures in 36 King Street Renovation Cost Overrun

LITTLETON — May 27, 2025 — Littleton Select Board confronts a half-million-dollar shortfall on the 36 King Street renovation. The board met jointly with the Finance Committee on Tuesday, May 27 to review a change order spreadsheet showing that three owner-initiated change orders — covering electrical upgrades, restrooms, and lighting — consumed the project's $218,000 contingency before unforeseen conditions such as a missing attic insulation layer and an end-of-life 15-ton HVAC unit were discovered. Town Administrator Steve Venuti outlined two immediate remedies: roughly $120,000 for attic insulation (partially offset by an estimated $70,000-plus Green Communities reimbursement) and $50,000 for a full mechanical assessment, with the board voting unanimously to recommend a $170,000 reserve fund transfer to the Finance Committee. Member Matthew Arambacher called the situation "kind of embarrassing" and pressed for a formal board policy on capital project financial reporting before the Shaker Lane school building project advances, a sentiment echoed by long-serving member Jerry Blumberg, who noted the same conversation has repeated for 25 years. The school department chair indicated willingness to contribute approximately $300,000 from school choice funds toward HVAC replacement, but no school committee vote had taken place as of the meeting.