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noncritical, items such as playgounds, traffic <br />improvements, skae park). During on-and-off discussions <br />during the evening, the Selectmen finally voted 3-2 <br />(Kennedy, Krieger, McSweeney vs. Kelley, McKenna) to uphold <br />the budgeted number and take the savings into the operating <br />budget, rather than allocating it to cash capital or free <br />cash. That has implications for borrowing, of course. <br />Bhatia reviewed the project discrepancies between the <br />committee’s recommendations and the Town budget. In brief, <br />the committee favored replacing the DW Skyworker equipment <br />($110,000 before salvage) but not the building envelope <br />study ($100,000), the Town Offices lighting project <br />($350,000), the Visitor Center rewiring ($97,000) or the <br />ADA enhancements ($50,000). Selectman Kelley suggested <br />having a Town volunteer committee do the building study <br />work. Two substantive surprises emerged: <br />1. The Town suggested that the ADA project, <br />instead of consisting of small items, should <br />be the large single item of making the fire <br />station entrance handicapped accessible. <br />2. The Town noted that NSTAR is now surveying the <br />Town Office Building (and other Town <br />buildings); the audit, which is free, will <br />lead to engineering recommendations for <br />rewiring, energy conservation, and relamping, <br />with possibly 80 percent of the cost borne by <br />NSTAR, and prospectively significant energy <br />cost savings (and more to come at other Town <br />buildings). <br />In this light, of course, these are different projects from <br />those presented to, voted on, and prioritized by the <br />committee, as Rosenberg pointed out to the Selectmen, who <br />also pointed out that given the constraint on operating <br />funds, Town departments are trying to set up capital line <br />items (accessibility, traffic signage and safety <br />improvements) for small expenditures they are finding <br />difficulty accommodating otherwise; but they are not <br />capital. <br /> Bhatia also pointed out that the Hastings roof repair <br />($88,000) no longer seemed necessary, and the School <br />Committee voted formally to withdraw the request. <br /> <br /> Before voting on these items, the Selectmen heard <br />discussion on the High School acoustical modification <br />($1,500,000) which will be 59 percent SBA reimbursable if <br />begun soon. They also reviewed at length small program <br />additions equivalent to the $56,000 in additional savings <br /> <br />