Gardner Council Approves $3 Million High School Renovation While Rebuking Mayor's Transparency

GARDNER — June 15, 2026 — Gardner City Council votes to fund a $3 million high school renovation while rebuking the mayor over transparency. The nine-member council voted 9-0 Monday night to reappropriate bond funds for a Gardner High School C-wing renovation — a project that began as a $2 million locker room replacement but expanded to a full reconfiguration of the gym wing, including restrooms, team rooms, and office space, with a low bid of approximately $3.03 million. Council President Nathan Tyros said the administration had an engineering estimate of $3,030,963 in hand before the project went out to bid yet never informed the council of the expanded scope. "I can't help but feel that it's not right that it happened this way," Tyros said. Councilor Judy Mack added that the Finance Committee — which meets twice monthly — was never briefed on a project that had been in development since December 2025. Mayor Nicholson, recognized briefly, said he was "certainly happy to correct all that moving forward." The council also elected Jennifer Plavin as city clerk 9-0 after a 49-applicant search, and authorized two City Charter Section 25 investigations: one into a $40,000 cyber fraud scheme in which a vendor impersonator diverted public funds, and one demanding a written mayoral response within 14 days on why the building department has been bypassing mandatory financial reviews on building permits.