Select Board approves Clean Water SRF loan application for wastewater design and discusses staged town‑center repairs

The Richmond Select Board authorized staff to apply for a Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF) Step 2 loan on June 1 to pay for preliminary and final design work associated with the wastewater treatment facility 20‑year study.

Board members discussed the estimated scale of the design contract (described in the meeting as "three‑quarters of a million dollars" as an order‑of‑magnitude estimate) and emphasized that any major capital project ultimately would be repaid by wastewater ratepayers, not the general tax base. The loan terms described to the board were zero percent interest for 15 years for the step‑two design loan; if the board pursues construction financing later, the step‑two debt can be rolled into a larger package with a longer amortization.

Separately, staff and board members reviewed a town‑center project list that includes masonry repointing, window replacement strategies, HVAC/ventilation and fire‑safety items. Several members urged a staged approach: bite‑sized, achievable repairs (masonry and selected window sash replacements) performed with local contractors or phased procurement rather than a single multimillion‑dollar gut‑and‑remodel.

The board asked staff to continue work with a consultant (Collers) to produce refined building‑specific designs and prioritized cost estimates, and to explore lower‑cost window solutions (remanufactured sashes or staged replacements) and local contracting options to stretch available funds.

What happens next: staff will submit the CWSRF Step 2 application and report back when the state confirms eligibility; staff will also continue to develop a town‑center prioritized punch list and engage potential local contractors for smaller phased repairs.