How would YOU spend $118,380 for the benefit of Windham?
Windham’s ARPA Committee will advise the selectboard on how to spend the funds the town received from the American Rescue Plan Act. The committee has identified eight possible projects to fund in part or whole. We want YOUR opinion of the eight options, which are described below. Please take our survey beginning November 1 and ending November 15. All replies are anonymous. The survey will be in this area with the heading ARPA Survey on Tuesday Nov 1, 2022.
1. Audio-Visual Equipment – AV equipment makes it possible for us to participate in town meetings from home and to watch recorded meetings later at our convenience. The equipment that was recently donated to the town will soon be obsolete, and some of what we are using is Maureen and Vance Bell’s personal equipment. The Town needs its own, up-to-date equipment. We need a new speaker, long cables, electrical extension cords, a good surge protector, a camera (or two), a projector, a dedicated computer, and a storage cart.
2. Beautify Windham Properties – Let’s enhance our beautiful town by planting attractive perennials and trees at the Town Office, Meeting House, Garage, and Cemeteries. These can commemorate important Windham individuals or events. With some thought and care, we can have perennials blooming in different seasons with native species and colorful plantings that have beautiful shapes even in winter months.
3. Broadband Connection – Those of us who live in the southern half of Windham will have access to high-speed internet, at last. A new nonprofit organization, DVFiber, will install fiber optic cable for this purpose at no cost for those whose homes are within 400 feet of a utility pole. Those of us who live further than that will have to pay for the additional footage of cable. We don’t want this cost to stop anyone from getting high-speed, so we need to create a fund to help those for whom this cost would be a hindrance.
4. Fire Company Gear – The Windham Volunteer Fire Company is asking for help from the ARPA funds because they were not able to have their auction and barbecue fundraiser during the Covid pandemic. They only responded to emergency calls for one year. They need new fire gear for two firefighters. After 10 years, their gear is no longer useful, and if outdated their insurance will not cover them. Also, they need five SCBA masks. These masks are essential to protect our firefighters. Our Fire Company serves our community on an all-volunteer basis.
5. Grant Writer – The Vermont League of Cities and Towns has identified multiple grants that Windham might receive. We can use some ARPA funds to pay a professional grant writer on an as-needed basis to pursue these opportunities. Grant writing professionals are just that: professional. Writing grants is what they do, so they have knowledge and skills to successfully articulate our intentions and significantly increase our chances at funding. This is a way to use some of our ARPA funds to help our town secure additional funds for critical projects.
6. Meeting House Improvements – Volunteers have made important repairs to the Meeting House, but much work remains to make the building a more vibrant community center. That includes a new heating system that works better and costs less, and changes to meet codes, like replacing the front doors to swing out and installing fire-retardant sheetrock under the stairs. The purchase of a generator and some other changes would make the Meeting House an emergency center. There is much more that could be done if we had the funds.
7. Solar Array on Town Office – By putting solar panels on the roof of the Town Office, we can produce enough electricity to eliminate our GMP bills for the Town Office, Meeting House, and Town Garage. There will also be electricity left over to support changes in our heating systems from gas and oil to renewable electricity. The state and federal governments are providing grants for municipalities to produce solar energy and to become more energy efficient. Support for the solar array will also help the town secure other grants for improved energy usage.
8. Town Office Updates – Our town records have been digitized, but we need a digitized index system, online payment processing, and a terminal for researchers. This will allow land records to be accessed remotely by computer or in the Town Office. An increase in the charge for downloading records will add new income. We also need to update our copier and invest in a wide format printer/scanner for maps and surveys. Let’s make sure our Town Office equipment serves us well.
