Freetown Awards $142,450 Town Hall Bathroom Contract, Adds HR Budget Line

FREETOWN — April 24, 2024 — Freetown Select Board awards $142,450 bathroom renovation contract and floats $50,000 HR hire. The board unanimously awarded the Town Hall bathroom renovation bid to CAT Contracting Co., as recommended by Stark Architects, and authorized Town Administrator Kevin Rundle to execute the contracts. At a joint budget session with the Finance Committee, Rundle unveiled four mid-session budget adjustments, most notably a new $50,000 line for human resources services — a request previously rejected at a fall town meeting — citing at least 75 town employees, active employment litigation, and unmet OSHA compliance obligations. "Something's got to give," Rundle told both boards, noting that absorbing HR duties risks the grant management work that has brought the town more than $1 million annually. The full omnibus budget review moves to a joint meeting May 9 at the police station.