Use this search box to find articles that have run in our newspapers over the last several years.
Date: 3/17/2021
SOUTHWICK – During the Southwick Select Board’s March 8 meeting, the board hosted a public information session for a project on Klaus Anderson Road through the Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness program and discussed using Elementary and Secondary Relief Funds to reduce the Southwick-Tolland-Granville Regional School District’s (STGRSD) required local contribution.
To start the information session, Department of Public Works Director Randy Brown explained that the Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness (MVP) program was meant for helping municipalities to address climate change.
“This program was created by the state to address climate change and how the state could provide support to municipalities to address climate change issues. Over $44 million has been dedicated to this fund over the past four years,” he said.
Brown said that one of the reasons for the project is because the concrete in the culvert has begun to deteriorate.
“We were awarded a grant for $128,000 for design and permitting services to replace a culvert on Klaus Anderson Road. The problem here is the concrete structure has deteriorated and there is also quite a bit of sediment that has built up in the structure. There have been situations where the road has overtopped from runoff because of rain,” he said.
Among the repairs, Brown said the culvert will be increased in width and height along with other small improvements.
“The culvert will increase in width from 9 to 19 feet wide, which meets current standards, and we are going to reestablish its 6-foot height. There are also some guard rail and stream bank improvements, and we are going to remove the invasive species in the vicinity of the culvert,” he said.
Moving forward, Brown said the DPW is waiting to apply for funding and looking for ways to get the public involved.
“For the next steps we are in the process of applying for funding for construction dollars. One of the things MVP is looking for is a way to involve the public in these action grants, so we are working with our consultants to come up with some unique ideas,” he said.
After Brown’s presentation, STGRSD Superintendent Jennifer Willard and Director of Finance and Operations Stephen Presnal joined the call to discuss using Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund II (ESSER II) grant funding to reduce the district’s required local contribution for FY22.
“What the ESSER II grant would allow the town to do is that you have the ability to use those funds to reduce the required local contribution to what it was officially for FY21, which was $9.78 million,” he said.
Presnal added that one of the wrinkles in the grant was that Tolland and Granville would see unequal use of it because of the state’s regulations.
“I do not think there is a huge downside to the town taking it with respect to the school district. It does set up kind of an interesting scenario where the other two towns do not get to share in the ESSER II money, but that is how the state drew the regulations up so there is nothing we can do about that, it is limited only to communities in the commonwealth exceeding the local contribution,” he said.
Ultimately the board decided to discuss the grant with the Finance Committee before deciding on it.
During the meeting the board also approved a cyber security grant along with a Drug Take Back grant for the Southwick Police Department.
The Southwick Select Board next met on March 15.