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Date: 12/18/2023
BELCHERTOWN — The Select Board approved $125,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funds to repair the elevator at Town Hall during its Dec. 11 meeting.
The Select Board has discussed this project in the past as the current condition of the elevator needs major repairs.
Town Administrator Steve Williams said, “It’s not a brand new elevator in the sense that we are tearing everything out and starting over. It is replacing all the mechanicals, rehabbing the carriage, putting all new electronics in. So, they will reuse when they can and replace everything else.”
Williams added that he hopes these repairs will give the elevator another 30-40 years of life and that they will not have to replace the whole thing.
In terms of when the project will begin, Williams said they have some time before they can start.
“I do not have an estimated time that the elevator will be out of service. We will have a long ways from point a to point b at this point. We still need to get quotes and sign a contract and order parts,” Williams said.
The Select Board and Williams said they will make sure everyone is aware of the construction before it happens and accommodate to those who need the elevator to get to the other floors in Town Hall.
“We are going to have to come up with a plan where we are meeting them at the back door,” Williams said.
Belchertown was awarded approximately $4.5 million ARPA funds to help the community’s recovery from the coronavirus pandemic.
After funding multiple requests from different department heads and approving the repairs to the elevator, the total amount of funds still available is approximately $150,000.
Select Board Chair Ed Boscher said, “We have a list of the other projects that have been awarded and approved. We have enough room to accomplish this project.”
The Select Board discussed making sure there is enough money still available for the upcoming special town election and special Town Meeting in June for the Jabish Brook Middle School project.
The School Committee and Select Board have the dates for a special town election and special Town Meeting at which voters will weigh in on the proposal to replace the aging school building.
The election will take place on June 17, 2024, followed by the Town Meeting on June 24, 2024.
Due to the expected turnout, the cost for the election and Town Meeting is estimated to be approximately $45,000.
That would leave the total of ARPA funds available at $115,000.
Williams added, “We have a project that was partially funded which is the Main and North Main Street [Department of Transportation] project design so we may want to come back and put a little more money towards that, but we are getting close. The big thing now is we need to make sure to cover the expenses for the Jabish Brook Middle School project.”
The Select Board has until the end of December 2024 to encumber the rest of the ARPA funds.
Select Board member Ron Aponte added, “We are in the home stretch for sure.”