Athol Capital Program Committee backs $807K in requests for FY27

ATHOL – The Capital Program Committee [CPC] has finalized the list of expenditures it is endorsing for the upcoming fiscal year.

The CPC has given its backing to nearly $807,000 worth of departmental requests for FY27 at it meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 25. While the CPC has made its recommendations, the Selectboard must also endorse their inclusion on the warrant for the Annual Town Meeting, and each will require Town Meeting approval. Funds for the capital plan will come from the town’s free cash account.

Items recommended by the committee with little debate was $24,000 for new voting machines, just under $70,000 to make the second payment on the lease for the Fire Department’s new tanker, $85,000 for a new cruiser for the fire chief, $93,000 for a new police cruiser, $60,000 for repairs to the police station from damage by a sprinkler last November, $50,000 for cemetery road repairs, and $25,000 for new and used equipment for the Department of Public Works.

The request generating the most discussion came from Planning and Development Director Eric Smith. The town is preparing to begin the first phase of the Rabbit Run Rail Trail, estimated at $2.75 million. Smith was seeking a MassTrails grant to fund a portion of this phase, and the town would need to cover 20% of the cost, or $550,000. However, Smith told the committee he had to significantly scale back his request.

“We got word from MassTrails in the last week or so that the most we could apply for for trail construction is $500,000,” he said. “We would get $500,000 in state funds and a 20% match on that amount would be $125,000. So, that’s all I would request from the town at this point.”

The work would cover a relatively small portion of the proposed 6.2-mile trail from the New Salem line to downtown Athol. The trail would generally follow the railbed of what was known as the Rabbit Run Railroad, which ran from Springfield to Athol and was discontinued in the 1930s to make way for the Quabbin Reservoir. The initial work would be done in the vicinity of the Bidwell Barn off South Athol Road.

“It’s a multi-year project,” said Smith, “and you have start somewhere, as they say.”

By the time the committee came to consider the $125,000 request for the trail, it had already approved just over $790,000 of the $817,000 in free cash made available to the CPC.

Prior to considering Smith’s request, the CPC had approved a proposal from Town Manager Shaun Suhoski to add $150,000 to the town’s grant match line item. Committee member Heather Butler noted that, “The town manager’s grant match is still sitting with a positive balance of $200,000. Given fact that this is also a town-wide grant match project. I’d like see us designate a $125,000 grant match award to this particular project, still leaving $25,000 for the town manager to supplement the existing $200,000 that he has. This is a project I think is worth supporting.”

Suhoski said he would support Butler’s request, while also cautioning there are other projects being planned that will each require a grant match from the town. They include, he said, potential improvements to Exchange Street and the demolition of the old York Theater building. Suhoski said the cost of demolition of the York has been estimated at $1.1 million.

“To get grant money for that, we’re going to need a grant match to be competitive,” Suhoski said. “We’re going to need a grant match to do something bold downtown.”

The town manager then added, “Over the years – in this year, too – you’ll see an article to contribute into the vacant and abandoned buildings fund.”

After checking with Town Accountant Amy Craven, Suhoski said the account holds between $300,000 and $400,000, which could be used as a match for a grant for the demolition of the theater.

The committee voted to approve Suhoski’s original request for $150,000 for the grant match account, with the stipulation to be made on the floor of the June 8 Annual Town Meeting that $125,000 will be earmarked for the Rabbit Run Rail Trail project.

Before adjourning, the committee reassigned some previously approved funds in order to purchase a new pickup truck for the DPW at a cost of $75,000.