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Date: 7/29/2022
WILBRAHAM – The future Wilbraham Senior Center may require additional funds, said a representative from P3, the design firm working on the project.
At the July 25 Board of Selectmen meeting, the representative said the Senior Center Building Committee is “working really hard to deal with costs,” and that they have “done everything possible to keep costs down without sacrificing programs. A total of $165,000 in unnecessary details and aspects of the project have been cut.
Despite this, with the construction documents nearly completed, the latest estimate of $11.39 million is $493,650 more than the $10.9 million that was appropriated at the Fall 2021 Special Town Meeting. The increases are largely due to volatile fluctuations in the cost of materials. Other unanticipated costs include a multi-purpose room stage and operable partition, solar tubes to bring in natural light, a projection screen, an activity room partition and fill dirt to even out the grounds.
The representative gave the example that decreasing the size of the building by 10 percent would not yield a 10 percent decrease in cost, due to how it is structured.
The construction project will go out to bid on Aug. 1 and the state requires that a bid be accepted within 30 days. Catlin said the hope is that the bids will come in under that estimate, but that is anything but certain. If the bids come in higher than the appropriated amount, Catlin said the town would have to go back to the voters at a Special Town Meeting to ask for the remainder. A Special Town Meeting was later scheduled for Oct. 17 in case it is needed.
Board of Selectmen Chair Carolyn Brennan asked if any part of the project could be covered by the federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). Town Administrator Nick Breault said he was unsure but would investigate it.
Board of Selectmen Vice Chair Theresa Goodrich relayed questions from residents about whether the new building would include a generator. Catlin said that, while the building would be wired for a generator, one would not be installed as it had been cut from the plans to save money.
Grant Funding
Members of the Finance Committee met with the board to begin discussions on how to finance programs and departments that rely on recurring reimbursement grants.
The issue came up when crafting the fiscal year 2023 (FY23) budget earlier this year. The Emergency Dispatch Department costs roughly $600,000 to run, which it receives in the form of a recurring state grant in the second half of the year. The question arose of whether to put the $600,000 in the budget, to be raised through taxes, and if so, what should be done with the grant money once it is received.
Finance Committee Chair Marc Ducey said that Hampden adds the amount needed to the budget and then lowers the tax rate at a fall Town Meeting, essentially, “giving it back” to the taxpayers once the grant has been received. Similarly, if the money is raised, grant money could be added to the Free Cash account and used for capital expenses in the following budget cycle.
Alternatively, Town Accountant Derek Geser said the town is allowed to deficit spend the account if a grant agreement is in place.
“We need to think about this,” said Ducey. “We need to be clear to the taxpayers what we’re doing with their money.”
Board of Selectmen Clerk Susan Bunnell suggested creating a working group consisting of members of the Finance Committee and the Board of Selectmen, along with Geser and Collector/Assistant Town Administrator for Budget & Finance Barbara Hancock. Goodrich suggested they reach out to other towns to see how the issue is handled there.
Algal Bloom
Breault explained that there was an algal bloom of Chrysosphaerella at the Quabbin Reservoir. While algae are natural in waterways, they can grow in excess when the conditions are right, such as the heat wave that the state recently experienced. Breault assured residents that their drinking water, which comes from the reservoir, is safe to drink, though it may have a slightly metallic taste. He suggested people chill the water or add lemon to mask the taste. The lingering taste should abate in the next couple of months, Breault said.
Vacancy Policy
Two residents, Joseph Lawless and Michael Tirabassi, interviewed with the board for positions on the Finance Committee. Both expressed a desire to give back to the town. While having handled budgetary tasks in their respective professions, neither man had worked in municipal finance before.
Bunnell asked that a third person be interviewed for the position. The individual had interviewed for the Finance Committee twice before and was not appointed due to a limited number of seats.
While Goodrich said that there were two positions and two candidates available, and the board should vote, Brennan asked that the topic be continued for two weeks to examine if the other individual was qualified and interested.
The board agreed. They also agreed that a firm policy on this situation should be drafted for future use.
Car Accident
Tirabassi spoke about the July 21 fatal vehicle crash between a sedan and a dump truck at the intersection of Monson and Glendale Roads. Tirabassi, who lives close by, asked for an investigation into making the intersection safer. Bunnell shared that the town’s Traffic Safety Team was scheduled to conduct a meeting on July 28 to explore that topic.