WARREN – Several projects in Warren will be paid for through American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds following the Board of Selectmen’s approval during their Sept. 15 meeting.

Chairman David Dufresne said, “We have some projects that are of a high priority right now that have been pushed in front of us that I think if we don’t take the opportunity to fund those, they can substantially go up in price and delay in time.”

Town Administrator James Ferrera noted that the town has $273,289.60 in ARPA funds available. At the end of the month, they will be receiving another $507,000 from ARPA for additional projects.

The first one that requires funding is the dual radio infrastructure project for the Police and Fire departments. Ferrera shared that the project costs $122,000, however, this funding was not encumbered and went into free cash last year. By taking the $122,000 right off the second round from the first allocation, Ferrera believes it would be the best decision.

Fire Chief Adam Lavoie explained that this project consists of replacing the entire infrastructure for the Police and Fire departments. “It’s going from a single site repeated system for the Fire Department, a dual system for the Police Department. We’re doing a sister system at this point, a three-repeater location around town,” shared Lavoie. He added that they are currently working out the details, however, the board has already voted and accepted the contract for equipment and installation.

The board unanimously approved the $122,000 from ARPA funds to the radio infrastructure project.
The next project, as mentioned by Dufresne, includes two police cruisers with trades for a total of $82,910.15. Police Chief Gerald Millette explained that they currently have two sedans that are front wheel drive and have limited space. He noted that the trade in value is about $15,000. Millette shared that another reason to do this project now is because the company supplying the cruisers has 2022 vehicles. Purchasing a 2023 vehicle would cost about $5,000 more.

The Board of Selectmen unanimously approved the allocation from ARPA funds to the police cruisers in the sum of $82,910.15.

Lavoie presented another project to the board and noted that it’s not just for the Fire Department. He explained that this includes new defibrillator being installed in several town buildings. A motion was made and unanimously approved to allocate from ARPA funds, $36,000 to fund this project.

Working hand in hand with the defibrillator project, Lavoie said there is another piece of equipment that has quickly become a “staple” on new ambulances that are coming out. The equipment is known as a “LUCAS 3,” which is a battery powered device that performs cardiac compressions on a cardiac arrest patient. The board approved $17,100 from ARPA funds to purchase the LUCAS 3 machine.

Dufresne shared that the Cemetery Parks are looking for a Kubota four-wheel drive, subcompact tractor in the amount of $13,800. Jeremy Olson, highway surveyor, said the cemetery is “unique” in the fact that it’s 90 percent hills. To mow the grounds safely, a four-wheel drive tractor is required. Olson shared that the current tractor has over 5,000 miles on it and has received a lot of repairs. The board unanimously approved the $13,800 to purchase a new tractor for the Cemetery Parks.

State grants

The Board of Selectmen unanimously approved the acceptance of a state grant in the amount of $12,840 to acquire budgetary software for the fiscal year 2024 town budget. Ferrera said this grant will assist in developing “a more transparent budget.”

The board also unanimously approved the acceptance of a state grant in the amount of $40,000 to commission a feasibility study for constructing a public safety/municipal complex.

“This $40,000 is going to start the conversation for the town moving in the direction of a public safety/municipal complex,” said Ferrera. “It will create discussion, it will show a document in which we can present to residents of the town and to the community to inform them of what the costs are associated with a project like this, to study all of the feasibility aspects of combining and condensing municipal buildings.”

He noted that this is a quite large project for the town, but this is the first step.

“What better way than to get the state to pay for the study?” said Ferrera.