ORANGE — If awarded the money, the town is looking to allocate $326,500 in Community Development Block Grant funding toward a new Wheeler Memorial Library roof.

After hammering out this week how members would like money to be distributed, the Selectboard continued to April 2 its public hearing regarding a CDBG application. The town will contract with the Franklin County Regional Housing & Redevelopment Authority to administer the CDBG program if awarded the money.

Brian McHugh, the housing authority’s community development director, addressed Selectboard members on Wednesday to help figure out where that potential cash should go. In addition to the $326,500 intended for the library roof, it was decided after deliberations and input from Town Administrator Matthew Fortier that $210,000 should be used for housing rehabilitation, while $84,189 would be designated for social services.

McHugh noted the maximum grant is $850,000 — $100,000 less than last year — and the state has increased its potential administrative fee, which is paid to the housing authority, from roughly 27% to as high as 30%. The numbers put forth by Fortier account for a 27% administrative fee.

“I know it always sounds like a big number, but ... there’s a big workload in these applications, these grants,” McHugh said.

The Wheeler Memorial Library at 49 East Main St. has fallen into disrepair and is in desperate need of a new roof, as the current one leaks regularly. Though a renovation project was pitched that would have involved borrowing up to $10.4 million to supplement a $5 million state grant, residents quashed a debt-exclusion override by 58 votes at the ballot box in November 2022. Flooding last summer also prompted closure of the basement level, which already had poor ventilation, relying almost entirely on ceiling fans and a dehumidifier.

During Wednesday’s public hearing, Library Director Jason Sullivan-Flynn thanked the Selectboard members for being thoughtful in their deliberations and for including the Wheeler Memorial Library.

“I do want to just emphasize that this is an opportunity for you to invest in the library. There’s a lot of work that can be done to improve the building, and the more that this investment can put toward that, the more I can do and the trustees can do to make further improvements,” Sullivan-Flynn said. “And that’s one of my goals here — to make the library a place that people really want to use.”

Resident Susan Howe said buckets have been placed throughout the library to catch dripping water.

Regarding the $210,000 for housing rehabilitation, Selectboard member Jane Peirce said it is crucial to have housing rehabilitation money, as many residents can’t afford home repairs.

The next Selectboard meeting, when the hearing regarding the CDBG application will continue, will be held at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, April 2.

Reach Domenic Poli at: dpoli@recorder.com or 413-930-4120.