The Temple Select Board discussed possible uses for about $40,000 in remaining COVID-19 relief funds during a community forum on Tuesday.
Selectman Bill Ezell said the board must submit action plans with designated uses for the funding by the end of 2024, specifying that the board was not intending to make a final decision regarding the use of the funds on Tuesday. Rather, the board wished to gather potential ideas for the funding.
In 2021, Temple received funds through the American Rescue Plan Act, or ARPA, totaling about $148,868. Ezell explained that the funding can be used for a broad range of items, but specifically cannot be used to offset the tax rate or pay off bonds.
The town has spent about $109,379 of the funds, over five projects. The majority, about $67,955, was spent on a new audiovisual system for the Town Hall’s main room and annex, allowing meetings to be recorded and livecast.
Other projects included emergency roof repairs at Town Hall for $24,600, installation of a well on the Town Common for $12,344, a compressor for the Fire Department for $3,480 and a new fireproof cabinet for the town clerk’s office for $1,000.
Other potential options that have been previously discussed by the Select Board or suggested by community surveys include improvements to the Temple Recreation area on General Miller Highway, including upgrading the tennis courts or playground, replacing fencing and a new sign for the baseball field.
Recreation Commission member Dan Cournoyer said the town had received a quote for about $18,000 to resurface and maintenance the tennis courts, but had not received quotes for the other needed work.
Resident Connie Kieley said she didn’t object to spending funding on the recreation area, but said she’d like to see a more-comprehensive plan for the area as a whole.
“Redesign it and make it a place people want to go to,” Kieley said.
Resident Gail Cromwell suggested that the money should be used for more-critical needs, specifically replacing alarm systems in the town buildings, including the Town Hall, library and town offices. The town has previously allocated funding for the project at Town Meeting, and is in the process of trying to secure quotes.
“Give the taxpayer a break,” Cromwell said, asking the board to use COVID funding instead of tax dollars.
Ezell said other potential considerations were curbing work in the town center, lighting for the parking lot in the back of the Town Hall and additional speed signs. Before dedicating relief funds to those projects, however, the town is researching other possible funding mechanisms, including transportation grants related to safety.
The board has also previously discussed using the funding for new fencing at the library, a project Ezell said the board is committed to, whether it is done through relief funding or some other avenue.
Ashley Saari can be reached at 603- 924-7172, Ext. 244, or asaari@ledgertranscript.com. She’s on Twitter @AshleySaariMLT.