Town secures ARPA funds for Revere museum design

The future Paul Revere Museum of Innovation and Discovery has been given a boost from the Norfolk County Commissioners with the approval of a $450,000 American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) grant to help cover design costs.

The announcement was made by Select Board Chair John Connolly and Town Administrator Charles Doody at the Select Board meeting on Tuesday, February 14.

This marks the third project approval for Canton since the county ARPA program was launched. In December, the town was approved for $1.1 million to install a granular-activated carbon filtration system at the Moran water treatment facility on Pecunit Street, and it was previously awarded $50,000 for a sewer pumping station remote monitoring system.

Canton still has the potential to receive another $2.5 million spread out over nine project applications for infrastructure upgrades, public health efforts and economic recovery.

To expedite the filing of applications, the Select Board in December gave the go-ahead to Finance Director Randy Scollins to hire KP Law to assist in the process. Scollins noted at the time that the review process for obtaining county ARPA funding is challenging and arduous, but he is optimistic that many of the projects will eventually be approved.

Scollins said two projects in particular — generator upgrades for the Water and Sewer Department ($150,000) and unit ventilators for the Hansen and Kennedy schools ($625,000) — are likely to be approved soon as they both have direct public health benefits.

Other requests to be filed by Canton include $1.1 million for KP Law; $50,000 for COVID testing kits; $50,000 for the Emergency Housing Assistance Program; $25,000 for marketing for a Regional Restaurant Week; $140,000 for walkway and parking improvements at the Hemenway building; $556,000 for premium pay for full-time school and town employees who worked through the pandemic; and $270,000 for the Elm Street Culvert Downstream Retaining Wall.

All county-approved projects must have contracts in place by December of 2024 and all funds must be spent by December of 2026.

In other news from Tuesday’s Select Board meeting …

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Posted by Mike Berger on Feb 17 2023. Filed under News, Town Government. Both comments and pings are currently closed.