Advisory team asks Select Board to intervene as temporary banners project risks $14,000 in grant funding

An advisory group working on temporary banners intended to commemorate local Black history said it will ask the Concord Select Board for a brief update slot after regulatory delays and disputes left the project in limbo and imperiled roughly $14,000 in grant funds.

Mimi, a town staff member leading the project update, told the group she was checking with the finance office about reimbursements and procurement timing, asking, “Will we get reimbursed for what we’ve spent so far even though the project won’t be substantially complete?” She said staff will explore whether orders can be placed before the June 30 grant deadline and whether the state will accept documentation of anticipated bills as a workaround.

The project team said it planned to present a concise timeline and factual progression to the Select Board—showing site visits, design options and samples—to counter criticisms that outreach was insufficient. The group agreed to request a spot on the Select Board agenda for July 20 and to send regular written updates if the matter could not be fully decided that night.

Community members at the meeting framed the dispute as more than a permitting disagreement. “It really feels very racially motivated,” said Nikki, a community advocate who urged the Select Board to show “moral leadership” and publicly acknowledge the concerns of the Black community. Michael, an advisory team member, said he has been personally offended in interactions with the Historic District Commission (HDC): “Why is it every time that I interact with the HTC I feel offended?”

Maria, representing the Robbins House nonprofit, contrasted the current process with the group’s prior local preservation work. “The Robins House ... we incorporated as soon as we knew we had to,” she said, recounting a rapid fundraising and approvals effort and urging the town to use both public and private resources when necessary.

Speakers described concrete project details discussed at the HDC: the team reduced sign sizes over time—from 24 to 20 to 18 to 16 inches—and prepared multiple design samples. Team members warned that shifting regulatory demands and late objections had changed expectations at multiple points in the process, a pattern they described as “goalpost moving.”

Several participants said the project faces a possible shortfall of about $14,000 in grant funding if deadlines and approvals are not resolved. The group discussed options including asking the Select Board to cover a shortfall with public funds, using ARPA as a match, or seeking a state-approved extension; staff said some workarounds exist but that the finance office and grantor must sign off on any solution.

The meeting also included debate about the advisory group’s status. Some participants and staff said the team is not an official town committee and suggested an impartial evaluation or broader representation; others defended the group’s expertise and said formalizing membership could be pursued if select board approval is desired.

The advisory team emphasized safety and voluntariness for those from the Black community who might speak at the Select Board meeting, noting emotional and health effects tied to repeated advocacy. The group planned a short slide-based timeline presentation and reserved one to two minutes for members who choose to speak.

There were no formal motions or votes recorded at the meeting. The project team will return to the Select Board on July 20 for an update and said it will continue outreach with regulatory bodies including the Historic District Commission, Cemetery Committee and Natural Resources Commission.