The next targets for American Rescue Plan Act funds in New Ipswich are Emergency Management Department upgrades and new software for the town offices.
The Select Board met Tuesday to discuss the next round of spending for ARPA funding, and although board members did not take any votes, they did discuss several options to revisit next week after gathering additional information.
The town has a total of $568,000 available in grant funding, and in two previous meetings, Select Board members have allocated spending for the town’s Department of Public Works, Police Department, town pool and investing in converting the former town highway garage into a community center.
During the board’s April 12 meeting, board members approved $122,675 in expenses, including new radios and body armor for police, development of a new town master plan, air cleaners and electrical repairs for the Department of Public Works. On April 19, they approved a $36,268 for new pool filters and drains and investigation into converting the highway garage and testing the soil on the property.
The main topic of conversation regarding the next round of spending on Tuesday was a request for a funds to overhaul equipment for the Emergency Management Department.
In a department-created wish list, the project could be split into two phases, each costing about $63,000. The first phase would address the Emergency Management offices and one communication tower and repeater, and the second phase would include the Department of Public Works building and a second communication tower.
Chair Shawn Talbot said the need was there, although it was a significant amount of the total ARPA allocation.
“The state that the EMD command center was in was complete disrepair, and outdated equipment. Much like the fire department’s radios and the police department’s radios, everything was outdated, and there are no service parts available. So this is a complete reboot for that office,” Talbot said.
The work also includes work on the communication antenna and new repeaters, which are used for all of the town’s emergency departments.
Talbot noted the equipment would be used “every day, every year,” but acknowledged the total cost of $127,000 was a “big ticket item.”
Board members discussed the proposal, but all three had questions about how the towers worked collaboratively between departments, and whether the proposal overlapped with improvements already proposed by the Police Department in their communications. They agreed to address their questions to Emergency Management Director Eric Maxwell, and revisit the issue next week for voting.
The board also discussed a request from Town Administrator Debbie Deaton for new accounting software for the town office.
Deaton said the town’s current software is out of date, and the town needs to pay for several years of upgrades or switch to a new system that is more streamlined and is easier to operate, which is her preference.
Requests from the town office include $37,795 for new accounting software and $28,135 for new building permit software, as well as $4,800 for cloud-based backup for the office.
Talbot requested Deaton return to the board with information next week about the cost of the potential upgrades and more information about the systems before the board made a decision on the new software.
The board also discussed a Department of Public Works request for roadside mowing equipment with Director of Public Works Peter Goewey.
Goewey said over the last decade or so, the town has rented a roadside mower each summer, for a cost of about $5,000 to $7,000 per year. He has received prices for a used mower for between $89,000 and $99,000.
The board did not take any vote on the mower, with Talbot indicating to Goewey that the board would revisit the request at a later date, after more-pressing matters were voted on, depending on how much funding was remaining.
Selectman Jason Somero, who has thus far voted against every ARPA expense approved by the board due to objections to using federal funding, requested his fellow board members take a pause on further spending until it was clear there were no repercussions from the allocations already voted on.
“I thought, ‘Would it be wise if we start spending this money, and see how it’s working out, and pause, and then revisit it?’” Somero said. “If it turns out it’s working out, fine and dandy.”
The board did not take any action on Somero’s suggestion, with Talbot indicating the board will revisit the requests from the town office and Emergency Management Department next week, after board members have received further information.
Ashley Saari can be reached at 603-924-7172 ext. 244 or asaari@ledgertranscript.com. She’s on Twitter @AshleySaariMLT.