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Select Board authorizes $100,920 MERP‑funded insulation project, authorizes town manager to sign contract
Summary
The Select Board authorized a Municipal Energy Resilience Program grant project with NEK Comfort LLC to add cellulose insulation and air‑sealing to several public buildings; board members said the work is 100% covered by the MERP grant and will precede any heat‑pump conversions.
The Hardwick Select Board voted to authorize the town manager to execute a contract with NEK Comfort LLC for cellulose insulation and air‑sealing work under the Municipal Energy Resilience Program (MERP). The Chair read the project amount in packets as $100,920; during the motion a slightly different figure ($100,928) appears in the record, an inconsistency that requires clerical confirmation in the contract paperwork.
Town Manager Miss Rupeson presented details, saying the grant covers insulation work at multiple town properties including the Memorial Building and the Town House and that the installation work is intended to be completed this year. “This is 100% covered by that grant,” Miss Rupeson said on the record, adding that the state does not expect every item in the grant agreement to be completed with the single award, but that insulation and sealing are the central pieces to keep the projects moving forward.
Board members discussed sequencing: insulation and air‑sealing should be done before replacing oil‑burning furnaces with heat pumps, both to reduce energy loads and ensure efficient heating system choices. Miss Rupeson noted the MERP program’s other components include furnace replacement, but the board agreed to proceed with insulation first.
The board approved the motion to accept the NEK Comfort LLC proposal and authorized the town manager to sign the contract; the motion carried by voice vote. The town manager and community development coordinator will oversee grant reporting and ensure eligible work is completed within the grant timeline.
