The Scituate Select Board opened its February session with a somber moment of silence for the seven lives lost in the Gloucester fishing fleet, a tragedy deeply felt in Scituate's own maritime community. Shifting to town business, Town Administrator James Boudreau confirmed that the deteriorating gazebo at Cole Parkway is slated for demolition next week. Boudreau noted that while a replacement is in the capital plan, its arrival time is uncertain, stating, The summer concert series will go on; gazebo unknown. Boudreau also urged residents to transition to the new Smart 911 alert system, which replaces the previous Code Red service for emergency notifications.

Interim Superintendent Thomas Raab presented a $55.03 million FY27 school budget, which focuses on level services and strategic technology refreshes. Raab explained that the budget maintains current staffing while adding a new drama teacher at the high school through retirement savings, remarking, Everything that we do funnels into these areas: teaching, learning, and leading. Board Chair Andrew Goodrich highlighted the town's strong financial standing compared to neighboring districts facing multi-million dollar deficits. We are not in that phase because of all of us working together, Goodrich said, crediting the collaboration between the school committee and town leadership. Member Nico Afanasenko inquired about support for educators, noting, Our substitute teachers are the only town employees that don't get minimum wage.

The Sidewalk Subcommittee presented a comprehensive roadmap for town-wide pedestrian improvements, ranking 38 projects based on safety and connectivity. Subcommittee member Donna Hamill explained that the group used objective data to remove bias from the process, stating, This creates a transparent, repeatable method for prioritizing sidewalk investments townwide. During the review, Susan Harrison voiced concerns regarding utility pole placement on Country Way, asking, Are we just—is it on the list? to ensure previous glitches were addressed. James Gilmore advocated for the document to remain active, suggesting, We should do this—put it on the calendar now for next year as an annual review. Motion Made by Nico Afanasenko to adopt the current page three scorecard as the going forward current roadmap and living document to be given to the DPW for future sidewalk construction and current repairs. Vote Passed 5-0.

The board also addressed regional infrastructure and fiscal liabilities, hearing from South Shore Technical High School (SST) officials regarding a $151 million building project. The SST Superintendent noted that enrollment is at an all-time high and addressed the potential admission of Pembroke into the district, stating, Everyone wants to know because there is a ripple effect somewhere regarding shared debt. Following a heavy winter storm that depleted 72 percent of the snow and ice budget, the board authorized emergency spending. Motion Made by James Gilmore to allow the deficit in the snow and ice account for the rest of the season. Vote Passed 5-0. Finally, the board rejected a proposal to extend the Plymouth County pension funding schedule to 2040, preferring to stay the course for a 2031 payoff. Freya Schlegel expressed interest in a new historical memorial for the town rotary, commenting, I've always wanted something centerpiece in the rotary. Motion Made by James Gilmore to vote not to support an extension of the date to fully fund the unfunded actuarial liability for Plymouth County pension beyond the current fiscal year 2031. Vote Passed 5-0.