SHELBURNE — The Selectboard voted this week to allocate $22,000 of Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding to evaluate the Bridge Street sewer and renovate the bathrooms at the Village Information Center.
Other topics addressed include the status of Sweetheart Realty LLC’s tax reduction, grants disbursed to small businesses and reopening Town Hall to the public.
The Village Information Center’s public bathrooms, at 75 Bridge St., are currently inaccessible to people with disabilities, a problem that $14,000 of the grant will address. Up to $6,000 of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) money will also be used to cover the remaining costs.
As for the Bridge Street sewer infrastructure, the town does not yet know whether a replacement will be necessary, but is looking to evaluate the system. The board approved using $8,000 of CDBG funds toward the project.
Jessica Atwood of the Franklin Regional Council of Governments (FRCOG) and Amy Shapiro of the Franklin County Community Development Corporation (CDC) told the Selectboard about the distribution of COVID-19-related grants to local businesses.
Shelburne businesses received a total of $242,775 in grant funding from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act, CDBGs and the Shelburne Falls Initiative.
“The best job in the world was I gave them that check,” Shapiro said. “There was tears and very, very appreciative comments from everybody. … I continue to see the impact of 18 months of getting the money out.”
Now, FRCOG is reaching out to towns to gauge interest in providing technical support to local businesses using ARPA funds.
“People are in a new state, a new way of trying to figure out their business, and there’s no roadmap,” Shapiro said.
Although attorney Kevin Parsons, representing Sweetheart Realty LLC, approached the Selectboard regarding tax benefits he did not believe the company had received, the board believes the tax agreement is being fulfilled.
Sweetheart Realty, owned by Joseph S. Rae, has sought to restore the former Sweetheart restaurant at the corner of Route 2 and South Maple Street. Town Meeting voters approved the agreement for Sweetheart Realty in 2017, providing a tax reduction on the added value of new construction and capital improvements to the building.
According to the board, the company has received its tax benefits. Town Administrator Terry Narkewicz said the Assessor’s Office provided $20,829 in tax relief for fiscal years 2020 through 2022 and estimates an additional $12,027 for fiscal years 2023 through 2024.
“It sounds like we’re on track to fulfill our end of the bargain for the most part,” Selectboard member Andrew Baker said.
Parsons said he was unaware of the benefits and would reach out to the Assessor’s Office regarding the agreement.
As mask mandates are lifted across Franklin County, Selectboard member Robert Manners said he has received inquiries about when Town Hall will reopen. The mask mandate at town buildings remains in effect.
The statewide waiver to host public meetings remotely expires on July 15, and the board discussed whether normal operations at Town Hall should resume before then.
“The question then would become, do you want to move ahead faster than that? Because that’s a date that’s already in front of us,” Baker said.
“I would like to see something perhaps a bit sooner,” Manners said.
Baker said he wants to get input from Town Hall employees — who would be put in the position of enforcing the building’s mask requirement — before opening to the public.
Narkewicz clarified that Town Hall is still serving residents in person.
“Everyone who comes to the door at Town Hall is served, whether they have an appointment or not,” Narkewicz said. “We’re all about serving the public.”
Board member Margaret Payne said she would gather information and suggestions on the matter to present at the board’s next meeting.
Baker began a preliminary discussion with members of the Finance Committee to consider raising the salaries of town employees in response to inflation and a higher cost of living.
A 3.5% salary increase would translate to a $32,000 increase in the town’s fiscal year 2023 budget. The figure does not account for the cost of benefits tied to a higher salary, Narkewicz said.
Finance Committee member Deborah Andrew said she would be “very cautious” of making any permanent changes, and Baker proposed considering salaries on a year-by-year basis in response to inflation.
Manners said he’s looking for feedback from the committee about how to recognize the town’s commitment to its employees and remain competitive within the market.