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Board to submit LCHIP letter of intent for Town Hall clock tower and roof; staff to pursue assessment grant as well
Summary
Town staff will submit a Letter of Intent to the Land and Community Heritage Investment Program (LCHIP) for repairs to the Town Hall clock tower and possibly the roof; staff recommended pursuing a separate grant for a $30,000 building assessment to strengthen the application.
Milford staff told the Board of Selectmen they will file a Letter of Intent this week with the Land and Community Heritage Investment Program (LCHIP) seeking funds to address repair work on the Town Hall clock tower and potentially the roof.
Catherine Coco, presenting for staff, said DPW quotes showed varying scopes and estimates. One combined quote for clock-face and tower repairs was cited at about $86,000 (not including contingency), while a tower-only quote of about $120,000 was also in hand. A separate roof estimate was shared at approximately $430,000; Ms. Coco said roughly $150,000 of that roof estimate is staging and access costs. Coco said she would likely propose a roughly $110,000 LCHIP grant request (LCHIP provides a 50% match for eligible projects) and that the town would need to plan for the local 50% match if awarded.
Coco also recommended applying for a separate LCHIP assessment grant to fund a comprehensive preservation assessment of Town Hall. She said estimates for a professional assessment ran about $30,000; LCHIP and other preservation partners can provide partial matching funds, so the town’s outlay would be approximately half that if an assessment award were received. Multiple board members favored pursuing the assessment because applications without a completed building assessment risk lower ranking in the grant review process. Coco told the board she would submit both an LOI for the repair package and an application for the assessment program and would return with a proposed warrant article plan should the town be successful in the November award round.
Board members discussed the trade-offs of applying in a single package versus seeking the assessment first. Several members said it made sense to pursue the assessment to improve chances for a larger award and to provide the town with an up-to-date plan for future work. Coco said LCHIP will accept an exemption for limited-scope projects (such as the clock tower) when an assessment is not yet complete, but she warned that lacking an assessment could factor into final scoring.
The board offered no objections to staff submitting the LOI and the assessment grant application; Coco said she would copy Chief Viola and provide updates by email. The LCHIP grant awards are expected in November; the LOI deadline this week will allow full applications to be prepared in time for the June deadline.
