Finance Committee Backs $132,600 Revolving Fund Boost for Laurel Fields Irrigation

SHERBORN -- October 29, 2025, Sherborn Finance Committee authorizes $132,600 revolving fund increase to complete Laurel Fields irrigation project as total costs reach $574,000. The committee voted 7-1 Wednesday night to approve the one-time increase in the Recreation Commission's revolving fund spending limit, advancing a system relying on two drilled wells, three 5,000-gallon storage tanks, underground piping, and manually deployed water reel travelers to irrigate the town's most heavily used athletic complex. The project launched in 2022 with a $160,000 ARPA allocation and a ballpark estimate of $350,000; unanticipated costs including a $91,000 Eversource utility connection and two rounds of bidding pushed the total to approximately $574,000. The Select Board had previously approved the increase on a 3-2 vote, with two members abstaining pending Finance Committee input. In a separate unanimous 8-0 vote, the committee recommended a 3.25 percent cost-of-living adjustment for the town's approximately 45 non-union, non-contract employees, above the national Social Security rate of 2.8 percent and in line with the Northeast CPI of 3.3 percent, at an incremental annual cost of roughly $96,000 above the 3.0 percent baseline.