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ARPA Funds, School Upgrades, and More on Westbrook Town Meeting Call

The town will hold a town meeting at 7 p.m. at Town Hall on Wednesday, Feb. 2 to vote on several issues, including appropriating some of the town’s American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) money, appropriating money for school upgrades, and dissolving the Senior Center Management Committee.

“It’s really nothing too controversial,” First Selectman John Hall told the Harbor News about the hearing.

Despite a long list of items on the agenda, Hall said there is a good reason for all of the items.

Senior Committee

One item on the docket is the dissolution of the Senior Center Management Committee. The committee was initially formed in 2006 as the senior center was being built. However, even before the pandemic struck, the committee was having trouble establishing a quorum for its meetings. The purpose of the committee when it was formed was to get a senior center running, but Hall said the committee isn’t needed anymore.

“It’s outlived its useful life,” Hall said.

Courtney Burks, the director of the senior center, went to a Board of Selectmen meeting on Dec. 14 where she recommended the committee be disbanded and a new commission on aging, which would be given better direction to help Westbrook’s senior population, be formed in its place. Hall said that by ordinance the committee needs to be formally disbanded by town meeting before the town can look at forming the new commission in the future.

“We will at some point appoint that new committee, but not at that meeting,” said Hall.

School Work

Another item that will be up for a vote on the meeting is the appropriation of $140,480 for upgrades that need to be done on the schools in the summer. Hall explained this is money that is already dedicated for this purpose.

“It’s money they already have, it just needs formal approval. And it’s work that will be done over the summer,” Hall said.

Of the appropriation, $49,480 will go toward a ventilator project at the Daisy Ingraham school, $30,000 for a library rooftop ventilator at the Daisy Ingraham School, and $60,000 to replace the lobby fan coils at the High School.

ARPA

Hall explained that the town is also hoping to appropriate $200,000 from the town’s ARPA allotment for services like the senior center, youth and family programs, and visiting nurses.

Additionally, $10,000 will be appropriated from the ARPA funds to upgrade technology in Town Hall to better allow for hybrid or remote meetings.

Tax Deferrals

Additionally Hall said the town is seeking approval for a tax deferral program for seniors that the state offers and which the town re-approves every few years.

“It’s also more of a formality. As I said, nothing in this meeting is anything too controversial,” Hall reiterated.