Board Backs Blasting To Speed High School Rebuild

Select Board · Meeting of October 26, 2026

Lexington's Select Board backed a plan to use blasting instead of mechanical rock removal at the Lexington High School site to recoup six weeks lost to a 46-day permitting delay. Turner Construction executive Jamie Meisner called the swap a "zero-cost change" involving up to two blasts a day over roughly 10 weeks. Member Douglas M. Lucente pressed staff on continued truck traffic on Park Drive despite "at least three or four promises" to route construction through Worthen Road instead.

Separately, the board voted 5-0 to grant Eversource a new utility pole on Massachusetts Avenue, voted 4-0 to approve the Affordable Housing Trust's fiscal 2027 goals following a $1.25 million state Affordable Homes Act award, and told staff to go ahead with repaving the Muzzy parking lot without a solar canopy.

In the full story:

• Public Comment: Vine Street Housing Promise And Crosby Road Safety
• Consent Agenda
• Eversource Grant Of Location: Massachusetts Avenue Pole
• Lexington High School Project: Shift To Blasting For Rock Removal
• Solar Project Discussion: Muzzy Parking Lot
• Patriots Day Weekend Schedule
• Affordable Housing Trust: Fiscal 2027 Goals
• Elks Club Sunday Alcohol Service Hours
• Voter Turnout Task Force: Student Liaisons
• Select Board Meeting Schedule: Tuesday Trial Discussion
• Who Was There
• Organizations And Documents Referenced
• The complete report: 4,048 words

Source: the Select Board meeting of October 26, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.

Checked against the record: before publication this article was automatically compared with the meeting transcript. It was corrected where it differed.

Correction (Oct. 28, 2026): An earlier version of this story said the Select Board redirected about $1.4 million in solar funding from the Muzzy parking lot to the Public Services Building. The board did not. It agreed to proceed with repaving the Muzzy lot without a solar canopy and took no action on the staff recommendation to put that money toward the Public Services Building.