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Swansea board accepts three grants and authorizes up to $21,000 for fire station design
Summary
The Select Board voted to accept three unanticipated grants for Wickham Hall, FEMA disaster reimbursements and a rail-trail safety project and authorized up to $21,000 for site design and permitting for a new fire station.
The Swansea Select Board voted unanimously to accept three sources of unanticipated funds and authorized the interim town administrator to sign a contract for site design and permitting work on the town's planned fire station.
The board opened a public hearing on three grants: $25,000 from the Peter and Johnson Trust to benefit Wickham Hall; $407,951.60 from the Federal Emergency Management Agency for 2023 disaster expenses; and $51,250 from the Vanetta Hack Alliance for rail-trail safety crossing improvements on Matthews Road. Mark, a Select Board member, moved to accept the receipts and expend the funds; the motion passed with board assent after the public hearing.
The action put new, restricted dollars into the town’s operating options. The board then took up a separate item to authorize design and permitting work related to the new fire station site. The board reviewed a proposal from a site-planning consultant (proposal figure listed at $18,000) and voted to permit the interim town administrator to execute the consultant agreement and to authorize expenditure up to $21,000 from the Fire Station Capital Reserve Fund or available grant funds to cover the design, test pits and permitting work.
Town administrators said the higher authorization cap would cover possible, limited extras (survey benchmarks, test pits, or minor consultant scope additions) without returning to the board for each minor change. Joe (interim town administrator) and Alex McAfee (architect) told the board they expect demolition and site-start activity to begin as soon as permits and initial erosion controls are in place; staff said test pits and related soil work could start within a week of contract signing.
Board members said the separate contracting approach (architect, site engineer and other consultants under separate contracts) was chosen to control costs. Officials noted contractors have offered in-kind contributions and that separating site engineering from architectural services can reduce fees. The motion to authorize execution and expenditure passed with board assent.
Votes at a glance: • Acceptance and expenditure of unanticipated funds (Peter and Johnson Trust $25,000; FEMA $407,951.60; Vanetta Hack Alliance $51,250): Motion to accept made by Mark; public hearing held; motion approved (board voice vote: aye). • Authorization for site design and permitting for new fire station: Motion to authorize interim town administrator to execute consultant proposal and to expend up to $21,000 (from Fire Station Capital Reserve Fund and/or grants); motion approved (board voice vote: aye).
Board next steps include finalizing the consultant contract, arranging test pits and feldwork, and returning later with final project bids and a construction schedule. The board also discussed funding sources and the possibility of staging site construction to reduce up-front costs.
