AGAWAM – The doors started closing almost immediately after Gov. Charlie Baker declared a state of emergency on March 10, 2020.

Town buildings closed to the public but workers had to find a way to keep essential services going, Mayor William Sapelli recalled last week.

“The Town Hall was closed for a minimal time,” said Sapelli. After only one week, many of the municipal offices in the Main Street building reopened for staff, although visitors were only able to enter by appointment.

“We took precautions with shields, social distancing,” and so on, Sapelli said.

Other town buildings, such as the Senior Center and library, remained closed for a longer period of time.

“They closed for a few months,” said Sapelli, although the staff reported to work. As the Senior Center serves an older, “more vulnerable” population, Sapelli said the closing period was taken as a safety measure.

Despite temporary closures, Sapelli said town workers tried to keep things as “normal” as possible. This included regular trash pick-ups, transportation services and more.

“We tried to keep business as usual,” said Sapelli. “Agawam did as good as anyone.”

One factor that helped was an infusion of cash from state and federal agencies. Sapelli said the town has been able to reimburse itself for coronavirus expenses using grant funds, and the local budget has not had to increase.

“The state was kind to give needs for shields,” along with additional resources, he said.

According to Jennifer Bonfiglio, the town’s chief procurement officer, “Agawam has expended $4.7 million on coronavirus-related expenses.” These expenses will be reimbursed through either the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act, or the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Some examples of these expenses include personal protective equipment, COVID-19 testing, cleaning and disinfecting, remote learning, first responder staffing, overtime, social distance measures and signage.

The CARES Act created the federal Coronavirus Relief Fund, which “included $150 billion for state and local governments allocated on a per capita basis,” said Bonfiglio.

Agawam’s total eligible amount under the CARES Act is $2.5 million. The CARES Act limits the use of these funds to expenses necessary for COVID-19 response betweeen March 1 ,2020, and Dec. 31, 2021.

Agawam also received funds under the FEMA Public Assistance Program, said Bonfiglio, which provides a 75 to 100 percent reimbursement for certain costs. Lastly, the town will receive $8.6 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding. The first half of the funding arrived in May 2021, with the second half to come this May.

Bonfiglio said that Agawam has elected to use these funds to invest in infrastructure improvements, including drainage and a water main replacement on Meadow Street, a $3 million project; a North Street culvert, $1.8 million; a North Westfield Street (May Hollow) culvert, $2.2 million; and a South Park Terrace and Lealand Avenue drainage project, $1.4 million.

“Agawam has received an additional $250,000 in ARPA funds through earmarks as a result of amendments to the ARPA bill by the House and Senate. These funds will also be used for future infrastructure improvements,” Bonfiglio said.

Through the ups and downs over the past two years, Sapelli believes a few good things have come from the pandemic, with the first being outdoor dining. When restaurants started to reopen in 2020, they were only allowed to open at 50 percent capacity indoors, resulting in a loss of business. The town allowed them to place tables outdoors to regain full capacity.

Sapelli said he hopes to make outdoor dining a permanent part of the landscape, allowing for even more restaurants to participate, if they choose.

“A lot of accommodations were made to help businesses through the pandemic,” said Sapelli.

The pandemic also necessitated a change in how congregate meals were handled at the Senior Center. What had been a dine-in operation converted to drive-through pickups, which proved popular with some seniors. Sapelli said the town has continued to offer meal pick-ups for seniors who prefer to dine at home.

Sapelli said the teachers and administration pulled together to get back to in-person learning, much sooner than most schools.

“Hats off to the educators and parents for being cooperative,” said Sapelli.

He commended the town’s schools, Police Department, Fire Department and Health Department for their roles in distributing vaccines, as well.