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North Brookfield declines STRAP sidewalk/paving grant over large highway match
Summary
Selectmen voted to reject a STRAP grant after hearing that the grant required a roughly $169,683.33 local match in highway labor and materials that town officials said would overwhelm the highway budget and staff time.
The Town of North Brookfield Board of Selectmen voted Oct. 7 to reject a STRAP grant after staff and selectmen raised concerns that the required local match would consume a substantial portion of the Highway Department's resources.
Town staff said the match was valued at about $169,683.33, primarily in in-kind labor from the Highway Department and materials: $151,083.33 in labor valuation, $9,000 for four-inch reflectorized white paint and $9,600 for 12-inch reflectorized paint. Staff said the highway crew makeup and current workload made that match unrealistic without curtailing other highway work.
Selectmen and staff also said the timing of the DOT municipal paving schedule complicated the grant. Town attendees reported uncertainty about start and completion dates, and several selectmen said the town could not encumber or “stockpile” salaries or otherwise move stabilization funds to cover the match without affecting debt-servicing and loan rates.
The board voted to reject the grant by voice vote; the meeting transcript records the motion and the board members’ vocal assent but does not include a numeric roll-call tally.
Town direction following the vote included staff research into alternative grants with lower or no local-match burdens and notifying CMRPC and DOT of the rejection so the awarded funds can be offered to another town if appropriate.
