Littleton Select Board appoints two officers, promotes sergeant, opens school contracts

LITTLETON — February 9, 2026 — Littleton Select Board approves police promotions, school contracts, and town meeting warrant in unanimous sweep. The five-member board, meeting at full strength for the first time in months, voted 5-0 on every substantive item at its February 9 session. Police Chief Matthew Pinard introduced new officers Jonathan Proia and Steve McAvey — Proia a former dispatcher now at the Nashoba Valley Police Academy, McAvey a 16-year Town Fair Tire manager heading to the Holyoke academy March 2 — and saw veteran officer Brian Casey sworn in as sergeant after 18 years with the department, during which he created the town's K-9 program. Elder and Human Services Director Liz Tretiak won board approval to raise the Senior Tax Work-Off Program cap from $1,500 to $2,000 annually, effective July 1, 2026, funded through the Assessor's Overlay account. Town Administrator James Duggan was authorized to sign $400,000 in Notices to Proceed for Turner and Townsend Heery ($50,000), Studio G Architects ($150,000), and Gilbane Building Company ($200,000) for the Shaker Lane Elementary School design and preconstruction phase. The board also opened the May 5, 2026 Annual Town Meeting warrant by roll-call vote, with a closing deadline of noon March 23; Duggan noted the town's town meeting survey had already drawn 253 responses. A contentious discussion on whether residents should have limited access to Town Counsel for drafting citizen petition articles ended without a vote, with members Rambacher and Nordhaus tasked with drafting revised guardrails.