NORTHBOROUGH – With a 4-1 vote, the Select Board reconsidered and approved the use of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds for equipment for eight new firefighters during its Dec. 16 meeting. Members Mitch Cohen, Laura Ziton, Mike Tietjen and Julianne Hirsh voted in favor, with Lisa Maselli against.
The vote comes after the board originally voted 2-3 to not fund the request on Dec. 2.
The Northborough Fire Department received a nearly $3 million grant through FEMA’s Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) program to hire the eight firefighters. An original quote estimated that it would cost $18,900 to outfit the firefighters.
In a memo to the Select Board for its Dec. 2 meeting, Fire Chief David Parenti wrote that it would cost $51,320 for one set of gear for each of the eight new members. During the meeting, Deputy Chief Neal Aspesi told the board that the department did not calculate a couple of things correctly. Prices have also increased, and there’s a drive for PFAS-free gear. He said the department experienced “unanticipated expenses” with one firefighter out due to an injury, another using Family and Medical Leave of Absence off and on, and one position that has been open for a while. This resulted in overtime.
During the Dec. 16 meeting, Parenti said he was the one who put the numbers together and did not realize the original quote was only for coats.
“I hadn’t intended on coming back to this board to ask for anything. I only came back because I was prompted to,” he said.
If the department received a grant through the Department of Fire Services, the balance needed to be funded would be $32,320.
RELATED CONTENT: During heated meeting, Select Board rejects ARPA funds for firefighters’ equipment
Tietjen, who previously voted for the request, asked for it to be reconsidered. Tietjen said he asked for it to be reconsidered following feedback in which people seemed disappointed and disagreed with the vote. He noted that there were extra ARPA funds remaining, and, with the comments from residents, the topic may be worth revisiting.
According to a memo from Finance Director Jason Little, the town received $4,516,183.33 in ARPA funds, and the Select Board has allocated funds to 60 projects, leaving a balance of $56,692.77. During the meeting, Little said the town determined that an additional $20,000 of surplus funds, for a total of $76,692.77, could be allocated.
“I think it would be important to show that we value the fire department by passing this article and funding their gear,” Tietjen said.
Cohen noted where the town sat with its remaining ARPA funds and said he supported allocating money for the equipment.
“I think it’s an appropriate use of the money, given the unexpected expenses that you’ve already incurred with overtime and everything else this year and the need to make sure that we have all of that equipment,” he said.
Ziton said that the biggest challenge when the request first came before the board was that the town had prioritized sidewalks when discussing ARPA funds, but said she would be happy to change her vote to support the request.
“I hope you understand that it was not directed at the fire department. It was a hard decision at the last minute when we have had a priority toward sidewalks. That was where the challenge came for me in that vote,” she said.
Maselli said she could appreciate helping the fire department, but was concerned that other department members would not be afforded the same protection and should also get new uniforms.
She said she received comments from people, complaining about requests coming in near the deadline of Dec. 31 to obligate funds. She suggested using a good portion of the remaining ARPA funds for design work to remove the additions at White Cliffs, which was estimated to cost $88,000.
“I would consider that because that’s a pretty big problem that we’ve been holding off on for many years,” Maselli said.
Other funding approved
During the meeting, the Select Board also approved $35,000 for three municipal signs at the Police Department, Northborough Free Library and Town Hall, including the signs, lighting and landscaping.
Little was asked for suggestions on how to close out any remaining surplus ARPA funds and recommended a culvert engineering project that was approved at Town Meeting in the spring. According to a memo by Cohen to the Select Board, the project is under contract, but it is not complete, making it eligible without requiring new contracts.
“The project does not require additional funds, so the amount to be appropriated is f lexible and will be based on decisions on the [municipal signs and firefighters’ equipment]. If approved, remaining Culvert Engineering funds originally appropriated at Town Meeting would flow to free cash at the conclusion of that project,” Cohen wrote.
During the meeting, Little said the project dovetailed with the board’s desire for work on sidewalks and infrastructure projects. The board approved $9,372.77 along with any additional surplus funds for the project.
At the end of the discussion, the board reflected on the years of ARPA discussions which date back to 2022.
“There was one possible way to do this at the beginning. We chose the harder route to do this. We did a lot of good with this money,” said Cohen.
