Select Board Approves $20,000 HVAC Reserve Transfer Over Heat Pump Objections

WEST NEWBURY — May 14, 2026 — West Newbury Select Board approves $20,000 reserve fund transfer to replace a failing public safety building HVAC unit. The board, meeting for the first time with newly elected member Barry Fogel joining re-elected member Christopher Wile and Chair Wendy Reed, voted unanimously to send the transfer request to the Finance Committee after Town Meeting voters had rejected a capital article for the same project in April. DPW Director Brian told the board the 2008-vintage rooftop unit had been costing $4,000 to $5,000 annually in maintenance and that a vendor quote of approximately $19,000, confirmed the day before the meeting, covered all installation costs without contingency. Two remote commenters — an energy lawyer identified only as Elisa and a former board member identified only as Rick — urged the board to seek an independent engineering evaluation and consult the Energy and Sustainability Committee before ruling out heat pumps, but Reed said the approaching heating season made delay untenable. The board also approved five line-item transfers totaling more than $20,000 across departments, designated Wile to a regional school district working group, and worked through a detailed transition task list with departing Town Manager Angus Ryder, who estimates roughly 315 to 360 working hours remain before his end-of-July departure.