Pepperell preservation panel reelects Cataldo, retains Pries as clerk

Community Preservation Committee · Meeting of September 10, 2026

Pepperell preservation panel reelects chair, absorbs eightfold cost overrun on tennis court study. The Community Preservation Committee voted to keep Bob Cataldo as chair and Kathy Pries as clerk for 2027, while confronting engineering bids of roughly $129,000 and $51,000 for tennis court work the committee had funded at just $15,000. Member Al Patenaude said the shortfall traced to an internally written RFP that expanded past its original scope, adding, "There's no way on God's green earth that you're going to get that done for $15,000." The committee also finalized application changes requiring two to three cost quotes from future applicants and agreed to ask the town to email its roughly 4,000 registered addresses ahead of a September 17 public hearing.

The Recreation Commission will need additional funding before the tennis court engineering work can proceed.

In the full story:

• Who Was There
• Organizations And Documents Referenced
• The complete report — 2,662 words

Source: the Community Preservation Committee meeting of September 10, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.