SOUTHWICK — Looking to resurface high school track, the Southwick-Tolland-Granville Regional District’s School Committee is asking the Community Preservation Committee to hold a special meeting to discuss its request of $192,000 for the project and despite a Select Board member’s endorsement, a few committee members expressed doubts it would qualify for the funds.
“It would be very helpful to the town budget if we could get that on … it’s going to be a tight [budget] this year and freeing up that $192,000 off the [school district’s capital budget] would help the town budget significantly,” said Select Board member Jason Perron to the CPC when asking for a special meeting before Town Meeting in May during the CPC’s regular meeting Wednesday.
During a recent Select Board meeting, board member Diane Gale mentioned the School Committee’s request, but didn’t provide any details.
And at the CPC meeting there were no specific details discussed about the request, but committee member Christopher Pratt pointed out that the application was turned in on April 9, but the deadline for applications for the CPC’s April meeting was April 2.
“That was a reasonable date to get this on for Town Meeting or any project on for Town Meeting,” Pratt said.
That prompted committee member Dennis Clark to ask if the School Committee and town were trying to “push this through” and that he was hesitant to schedule a special meeting of the CPC to consider the application
Committee member Richard Harriman agreed with Clark.
“However, if we don’t at least make an attempt to do so, then we won’t be able to put it in, or whatever we need to do until the following year,” Harriman said adding that he had read the application and described the track as being in “pretty bad shape” and the plan was to have the track resurfaced during the summer so it’s ready in the fall.
Pratt agreed with Harriman that the committee should at least make an attempt to come to a decision.
“If we decide one way or the other before [Town Meeting] they can make a plan to do their work,” he said referring to the school committee.
Clark spoke of his concern that the project wouldn’t fall under the criteria for CPC funding, which doesn’t allow the funds to be used for “maintenance.”
“What jumped out at me was it looked like it was maintenance,” Clark said, adding that the resurfacing of the track was described as maintenance in the application.
Committee member John Whalley III agreed with Clark, later asking Pratt, “how can you argue that it’s not maintenance?”
Pratt said he wasn’t arguing that it was or wasn’t maintenance, but that the CPC should discuss the application at a special meeting before Town Meeting.
According to the criteria established by the state for a project to qualify for CPC funding, it must fall into four categories: open space, recreation, historic preservation or public housing.
The first iteration of the application used the word “maintenance” to describe the project. It has since been amended to “perform rehabilitation on the community track at Powder Mill School.”
On the CPC’s page on the town’s website, “rehabilitation and capital improvements” are allowed on town-owned “recreation land that make the land or related recreation facilities more functional for their intended outdoor recreational use.”
However, there is no mention of maintenance in the criteria used to determine funding for a recreation project.
In fact, the word “maintenance” doesn’t appear in the criteria.
Perron said he had “heard the concerns about maintenance.”
“It really is a capital improvement to [the track] … that’s why I want to get in front of you guys to present with the school how we think this qualifies [for CPC approval],” Perron said.
The CPC agreed to meet again on April 22 at 7 p.m. to consider the application.
The committee members briefly discussed the application from the Parks and Recreation Commission to allocate $670,000 to build six pickleball courts at Whalley Park.
The committee has already approved the application, but the committee wanted to have the town attorney look over the article that will appear on the warrant at Town Meeting.
CPC Coordinator Sabrina Pooler said after the meeting there is language in the draft article that addresses the funding.
During a Special Town Meeting in December 2023, residents approved funding for two pickleballs courts at Town Hall — which are under construction — and $207,990 for the installation of four at Whalley Park.
The article will ask that $207,990 approved in December 2023 be cancelled and transferred into a new account and would be added to the $462,009 to reach the $670,000 needed for the six courts, fencing, lighting and a pavilion if approved.
