Barnstable County presents $11.45 million five‑year capital plan; $8.2M proposed for FY26 under ordinance 2501

Barnstable County Assistant County Administrator Vera Harik presented a five‑year capital improvement plan and the fiscal 2026 capital budget under proposed Ordinance 2501, saying the full five‑year total is about $11,449,000 and that most projects are concentrated in fiscal 2026.

Harik said about $9,000,000 of the total is expected to be reimbursed or covered by grants, leaving an approximate net borrowing need of $2,300,000. She told the assembly that of the five‑year total, roughly $8,200,000 is proposed for the upcoming fiscal year and that most of that spending falls within seven county departments.

The plan lists two major categories of work: a large expansion and renovation project for Children’s Cove, and multiple facilities projects. Harik identified Children’s Cove as the single largest line item — roughly $7.3 million — and said the county expects to seek grant funding, including federal Community Project Funding and philanthropic support, and noted Representative Keating had expressed interest in the project. Facilities department requests include 11 projects across the five years totaling about $3.1 million, Harik said.

Harik described the planned funding mix: debt of about $2.3 million, reimbursements (largely from court tenants that occupy county buildings), and grants. She explained that courthouse‑related projects are often reimbursable because courts lease county‑owned space; for example, the Orleans second district courthouse occupies the entire building cited and thus related work there would be 100% reimbursable, while the Superior Courthouse is only partially county‑occupied and so reimbursability varies by site and project.

Harik also summarized department‑level FY26 requests: an administration request for an electric or hybrid vehicle funded by an EECBG voucher from the Department of Energy; a finance/administration request of about $200,000 to upgrade an office suite and improve accessibility and space efficiency; facilities requests to replace a roof and HVAC at the Fire Training Academy and to replace an aging generator serving the former Hall of Corrections (backup power for the regional emergency coordination center and nursing division); and two health‑department projects (lab HVAC planning/design tied to ARPA lab upgrades and replacement of an obsolete total organic carbon analyzer).

Harik said the county adheres to a 10% debt‑service ceiling adopted in a 2022 financial policy and that a PFAS stabilization fund established by ordinance in June 2024 is planned to be tapped in certain years to stabilize Clean Water Trust repayment flows. She summarized that some years on the capital chart appear to exceed the 10% threshold on paper, but the PFAS stabilization fund and the fact that some borrowing is 0% from the Clean Water Trust mean the county projects staying within its policy limits.

No formal vote on Ordinance 2501 occurred during the assembly meeting; Harik closed by inviting committee‑level questions and asking delegates to submit detailed inquiries to the finance committee during committee meetings.

Harik took brief clarifying questions from delegates about committee routing and timing for more detailed questions, and Speaker Potash and others encouraged delegates to ask department‑specific questions at scheduled committee hearings.

The assembly did not take formal action on Ordinance 2501 during the session.