Rochester’s Select Board Monday rejected Public Safety Building Committee Chairman Arnold Johnson’s request to hire an owner project manager with $140,000 of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds, preferring to learn first what exactly an OPM would accomplish for them at this stage of the project to combine, replace or rehab the town’s space-challenged police and fire stations.
Johnson said his committee, which recently received the project’s feasibility study, wants to take the next step by using the ARPA funds for an OPM with the expertise to evaluate design and cost options for the rehab/replace plans being proposed.
Select Board member Brad Morse did not agree with this plan. He said he wants to recommend putting this expense before town voters for their approval first, noting the town doesn’t even have a specific replace or rehab plan yet. “This is putting the cart before the horse,” said Morse.
Johnson responded that the committee can’t do any more evaluating of the feasibility study’s conclusions until it gets an OPM’s expertise. However, fellow Select Board member Adam Murphy agreed with Morse. “I think voters will question this,” Murphy said.
A resident added to the pushback by noting the town has yet to share the feasibility study with the public. “To hire a project manager is way premature,” he said. Very cart before the horse. There has been zero communication with the townspeople.”
Johnson countered that the feasibility study has been discussed in open meetings, televised on local cable and reported in the press. “We are doing our due diligence,” he said. “To bring a big number to town voters in the past was a waste of time. We just need to get a better next step this time. No one’s disrespecting the voters. I’m not against bringing this to the voters.”
The Select Board concluded discussion by tabling a decision, after Murphy moved to have Town Administrator Glenn Cannon put together information on what an OPM does and what that person would be doing in this case. “For $140,000?” Murphy said. “We don’t even know what we’d be getting for that.”
In other action Monday, the board opened the warrant for the Annual Town Meeting, which it noted is scheduled for May 13. The warrant will remain open until Friday, March 22.
The board appointed police officers Connor Leddin and Austin Alves for detail work at the March 5 Presidential Primary election.
Cannon reported that the transfer station site assignment request should be available for signing at the March 18 Select Board meeting.
Cannon reported the Massachusetts Cultural Council has received a $5,800 grant for its dispersal this year.
On February 27, the Select Board met briefly and approved spending $1,300,000 of ARPA funds on town priorities.
Prior to the vote, Cannon explained to Select Board Chairman Paul Ciaburri and Murphy, who were present in person, and Morse, who was attending via a telephone link, that by March 1 the Plymouth County commissioners need an estimate of what the town wants to spend its ARPA funds on. If those funds aren’t spent by the town by the end of the year, they will be reallocated for other county priorities.
The board swiftly approved forwarding to Plymouth County the memo that allocates $1,309,227.77 of ARPA funds for the following town needs: new ambulance at $384,000, Revenue Loss Allocation $218,226.35, Technical Upgrades $250,000, Overtime Reimbursement $150,00, Emergency Services Power Stretcher $30,262.46, two Defibrillators $4,938.98, COVID tests $5,000 and Dispatch/jail-cell doors $100,000.
The last item became this designation after Murphy noted it is uncertain whether police cell doors, the initial intent for that amount, would qualify for ARPA funding, which must be related to the negative financial impacts of the COVID pandemic and public health and safety needs. Murphy suggested adding dispatch-center costs to this item, as the town will need its own equipment should the regional dispatch center Rochester now relies on ever shuts down. Cannon said he will research further as to whether cell doors will so qualify for these funds.
The technical-upgrades priority will be spent on new radios and radio repeaters for the Fire Department, said Chief Scott Weigel. Officials previously reported that $216,413 of ARPA funds would be used to acquire digital radios; this amount is in the new $250,000 sum. Overtime Reimbursement will be for the costs paid during COVID for employees who had to work in the office despite the pandemic.
Rochester was initially awarded $1,021,846.89 in total ARPA funds. Cannon explained in a later interview that the county asked the town to calculate extra funding into its estimate in case a reallocation of funds occurs.
The Rochester Select Board set its next meeting for Monday, March 18, at 6:00 pm at the Senior Center, 67 Dexter Lane.
Rochester Select Board
By Michael J. DeCicco