DEERFIELD — In lieu of appropriating money through annual Town Meeting, the Select Board voted Wednesday to use its $745,000 portion of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) money to fund several capital projects in town.
The board intends to pass over Article 13 on Monday’s Town Meeting warrant as it will instead use the one-time funding for several projects in a range of areas. Board member Trevor McDaniel said the town has been “waiting and waiting” on the ever-changing ARPA spending guidelines, and town officials have decided to designate the money as revenue loss, which means it can be spent on “any legitimate government use.”
In this case, legitimate government use covers a range of different allocations, with the biggest project being the Leary Lot development for $500,000. The town intends to pave the lot, located behind Ciesluk’s Market and Greenfield Savings Bank, install green spaces, and increase access to both Berkshire Brewing Co. and Hamshaw Lumber as one of the first steps in the town’s years-long revitalization plan of South Deerfield.
“We wanted to make sure this grant money touched as many people as possible,” McDaniel said. “We’re working with different entities and the property owners to develop a nice parking lot.”
The town also plans to spend $100,000 each on the design and construction of the Police Station’s heating, ventilation and air conditioning system, and for the purchase of a mini excavator for the Highway Department.
An additional $10,000 will be appropriated for HVAC software for the Highway Department building and $35,000 will go toward maintaining the South County Senior Center to prevent further damage.
These five projects, totaling $745,000, represent the first distribution of ARPA money to Deerfield. A second allocation of $655,000 in ARPA money will be distributed to Deerfield at a later date.
