By Theresa Knapp 

At its meeting on Sept. 23, the Select Board discussed possible uses for $438,000 in “ARPA” funds the town must spend or allocate to specific projects by Dec. 31, 2024. 

ARPA funds are part of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 intended to “aid public health and economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic,” according to the National Conference of State Legislatures [bit.ly/ncslARPAfunds]. 

Town Administrator Mitch Ruscitti said the following projects are being discussed with the Finance Committee: 

• $300,000 for a renovation to the town park to include multi-use courts, lighting, drainage improvements, and fencing;

• $80,000 for an electrical upgrade to the high school generator to make the building a FEMA-compliant shelter;

• $38,000 Town Hall auditorium engineering grant match “to update the renovations costs that were projected 10-12 years ago, in addition to planning out future use for that space;” and

• $20,000 for Little Red Shop upgrades and repairs. 

“There is extensive repair needed at the Little Red Shop,” Ruscitti explained. “When the renovation was completed in 2007…there was a portion that was not done correctly. There’s extensive work that needs to be done at the shop to maintain it, and its structural integrity.”

Ruscitti noted that the town is responsible for maintaining the LRS, which has been designated as a “National Historical Park” by the National Park Service. 

He said the work needed is “pretty extensive” and the requested $20,000 in ARPA funding would be used to upgrade engineering and design studies, adding that, “there likely will, in the future, have to be a larger borrowing authorization to make sure that that building is structurally sound.” 

A vote on the suggested allocations will be held in the near future.