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Date: 11/1/2022
SOUTHAMPTON – Spending money from the Green Communities (GC) program may seem like picking mana from the trees, but Jon Lumbra tried to slow the picking down so the town makes no mistakes with the funds.
“It just seems like we’re trying to eat a cow here when we should be eating steaks, as we go along,” said Lumbra, the vice chair of the Select Board.
On Oct. 25, the board discussed how to spend $138,000 in grant money from the GC program. Four projects were proposed for the funds, including a new furnace in the highway barn and a mini-split heater in the offices. A furnace and mini-split at the Police Department is also under consideration, as is infrastructure work at the William Norris Elementary School. The work at the school is still preliminary and wasn’t discussed, but if the Fire and Police Department projects are funded there won’t be enough money to pay for new streetlights, a fourth proposal.
“We have a cap of $13[8],000, 71 for the highway, 51 for the PD,” Lumbra said. Those two projects would consume almost all of the GC grant funds, he said, “even before we get to the street lighting.”
Lumbra took less exception to the streetlighting project. Town Administrator Ed Gibson explained that many of the town’s over-the-roadway lamp bulbs were past their useful life. New LEDs had previously been discussed, and Eversource officials visited the town two years ago to talk about a switch-out.
“This one does get expensive,” Gibson said. During the Eversource visit the town was quoted a $38,000 price tag for new LED bulbs. “They would change our streetlights out to LEDs, not all at once, but over a five year period,” 20 percent each year.
The town would purchase the LED bulbs from Eversource and the company will handle the installation. After two years of inflation, and facing kinks in many supply chains, the costs may be higher. Select Board Chair Christine Fowles also noted, “There are a lot of places where the lights are not active now.” Relighting those lamps may reduce actual savings, which are significant.
The town received a 10 year cash flow analysis for the streetlight project. The town will save $11,800 per year and cut its consumption of electricity. That’s one of the goals of the GC program, to motivate municipalities to cut energy use. The payoff is that more grant funds become available to a town that reduces its consumption of kilowatt hours by 20 percent.
Lumbra noted the lights were out all along College Avenue. He also saw a possible conflict between replacing the furnace in the highway barn and the possibility it will be torn down to make way for a public safety complex.
“We, as a town have refused to pump sufficient money into our infrastructure,” Lumbra said. “So now we’re here, oh, we have this grant, let’s go do this. Yet we may potentially tear the building down in 18 months.”
Lumbra pointed out that an ad hoc committee, appointed by the Select Board, identified the highway barn as a possible site for the new public safety complex. If voters choose that option at a future Town Meeting, the existing structure would be torn down and the investment in infrastructure wasted. A vote in favor of siting the new safety complex there is unlikely, according to Gibson, but the decision is with the Public Safety Building Committee to identify the preferred sites and for voters to decide between them.
Gibson filled in some missing information: the furnace in the highway barn is old and failing and will need to be replaced soon. That adds a twist to the deliberations. The town administrator wasn’t worried the highway barn would be chosen, but Lumbra countered that it was up to the voters and the ad hoc committee.
“Our infrastructure program, we’re looking for a bailout now,” Lumbra said, “yet we have a duly authorized, sanctioned committee, of this town, saying the highway garage is a highly desirable location.”
Town funds have already been authorized for spending on the highway barn work, which includes the furnace and a mini-split unit. Board member Francine Tishman raised the issue of time. Changes happen at the speed of government, which may mean the building will be in use for long enough to justify a new furnace.
“If that’s the location that the town votes and approves, how long is it going to take?” Tishman asked. “How long will the Highway Department remain in that facility? It won’t come down in a year or two, in our experience. It’s going to be several years.”
Fowles commented, “I do think we’re in a bit of a time warp,” before turning the discussion to other matters. Among the subsequent business was a review of applications from town bodies for projects to be paid with American Recovery Plan Act (ARPA) funds. The federal coronavirus pandemic relief program released two or three tranches of funding to municipalities. Southampton has through 2024 to spend the funds.
A grant application for ARPA assistance was denied for Security and Fire Integration. The company has relocated out of town. “If they want to reapply, they can,” said Fowles.
Goodies to Go submitted a COVID-19 impact statement. The business was started during the coronavirus pandemic and submitted invoices to show pandemic cost increases. The board voted to grant a total of $24,495 to the company, the first $10,000 for lost revenue and $14,495 to offset expenses.
The Parks Commission submitted a proposal for surface repair of tennis and basketball courts. The original quote received, now about a year old, was $32,000, with $6,000 added for possible cost increases. The board authorized up to $25,000 for the proposal.
The Parks Commission submitted an application for funding of a master plan for Conant Park. The plan would cover long-term planning of capital expenses and maintenance, but also may enhance the chances that future grant applications will win funding. “It’ll be a good guidance point in the future,” Gibson said. The request for $8,000 was approved.
The Water Department submitted an application for water main work from Fomer Road to Clark Street, the first of three phases. Board discussion detailed that the phase will cost $604,000 total, with $180,000 already granted and $265,000 coming from Water Department accounts, The application was to fund the remaining $159,000 necessary.
“In the past 50 years our population has increased by 50 percent and we’re still n the same water system,” Lumbra said. “Why are we fighting so hard to maintain a separate Water Department … when we could be buying [water] from Northampton?”
Lumbra voted against the motion, but $159,000 in funding for the first phase was authorized by the board with a vote of 3-1. Monies for the replacement of the water main from Fomer Road to Clark Street is in place.