Buckfield Select Board approves application for $10,000 Maine Community Foundation grant to support community —swap shop—

At its Jan. 20 meeting, the Buckfield Select Board approved submitting a grant application to the Maine Community Foundation for a community —swap shop— project.

A swap shop ad hoc committee presented the idea and identified the Maine Community Foundation's community-building grant as a low-barrier funding opportunity. Speaker 5, a member of the ad hoc committee, described the grant and told the board it would not require a town match if awarded. "This specific grant would be ... a $10,000 grant with a $0 match," Speaker 5 said.

Board members asked whether the grant would be awarded to the town or to a nonprofit operating the swap shop. Speaker 5 said they expected the town would be the award recipient because the town owns the property. Board members discussed the possibility of leasing the building to an operator for a nominal fee and emphasized that any lease should clearly assign maintenance and safety responsibilities to the lessee.

Speaker 2 moved to approve submitting the application for an award amount up to $10,000 with a $0 match requirement; Speaker 1 seconded the motion and the board approved it by voice vote. After the vote Speaker 5 thanked the board and said the committee will continue to develop the project and provide updates.

If awarded, the committee and town staff will be responsible for grant reporting; the applicant said reporting would be required one year after receipt (the applicant referenced a reporting date of June 1 in discussion). The board asked staff to work with the committee on administrative steps and any lease terms if a third party will operate the swap shop.

The Select Board did not record a dollar contribution by the town toward the project during the meeting. Further details about the anticipated operating model, lease terms and any third-party nonprofit operator remain to be developed and announced.