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Deerfield senior housing committee delays RFP to await Brownfields report; Selectboard not pursuing demolition grant
Summary
The Deerfield Ad Hoc Senior Housing Committee extended its senior-housing RFP deadline to July 9 so it can incorporate a Brownfields report due at month’s end; the committee noted the Selectboard will not pursue a demolition grant and will instead consider a contractor removal RFP. The committee also advanced archival review steps for the St. James property and discussed funding options for senior supports.
The Deerfield Ad Hoc Senior Housing Committee on May 20 extended the deadline for its senior-housing request for proposals to July 9 to allow time to incorporate findings from an expected Brownfields report, a committee member said.
The extension follows committee discussion about developer questions and logistical details. Alex Galloway was asked to incorporate the Brownfields findings into the RFP; committee members said they expect the report by the end of May.
The committee also recorded that the Deerfield Selectboard is not interested in pursuing a Community One Stop demolition grant for the property under consideration. "The Selectboard asked us not to pursue a grant for demolition," committee member Lili Dwight said; she added she will discuss issuing a removal RFP with the Selectboard and "ask the YMCA how they found a ‘mover.’"
The meeting included an update on archiving and preservation work for the St. James property. Carolyn Ness said she had spoken with Peter Thomas, who reported that the rectory and the front portion of the church are not original. Peter intends to contact Bill Flynn at Historic Deerfield and an engineer to evaluate structural elements such as hand-hewn beams and to pursue oral histories from former parishioners.
Committee members also discussed funding avenues for senior services tied to housing. They noted that Community Preservation Act (CPA) funds "cannot be used for social services" but may be used for rental assistance through regional housing authorities; the committee plans to follow up with FCHRA on appropriate uses. Carolyn Ness said she would contact Sharyn Paciorek about heating-assistance programs and would call the Department of Revenue to ask whether the town can pause property tax in an "extreme event." Lili Dwight referenced RAFT rental/utility assistance programs and the Eversource Good Neighbor Fund as potential resources.
Procedural items: the committee called the meeting to order at 5:05 p.m., the minutes from April 29, 2026, were presented and "unanimously approved," and the meeting adjourned at 6:03 p.m. The committee scheduled its next meeting for May 27, 2026, at 5:00 p.m.
The committee opened the meeting by reaffirming the town’s anti-hate stance; its statement said the group "unequivocally condemn[s] racism, discrimination and hate in all its forms" and committed to fostering an inclusive community.
The committee’s work plan for the coming weeks centers on reviewing the Brownfields report when it arrives, updating the RFP package and responses for developers, pursuing archival and structural review of St. James, and clarifying allowable funding routes for senior supports.
