Freetown Select Board Approves $100,000 ARPA Funds for Municipal Fiber Network

FREETOWN — November 6, 2023 — Freetown Select Board unanimously advances municipal fiber network and fire station renovation despite $1.2 million budget shortfall. The board voted Monday to allocate $100,000 in ARPA funds toward completing a fiber network linking all town buildings, adding to an existing $335,000 grant; the project must be fully spent by December 2024 and is expected to eliminate the majority of the town's 19 Comcast contracts, currently running roughly $2,600 per month. On the fire station, the board voted to proceed to bidding on a renovation-addition estimated at $1.2 million above funds already set aside, with additional money expected to come from free cash rather than new taxes; the project addresses only three of the department's 10 identified needs, including a vehicle bay, bunk rooms, and a training room. A heated exchange over a $3,186.45 partial check from Excel Recycling — submitted against a court-ordered annual $25,000 settlement payment — ended with the board accepting the funds for a fire department trailer while directing that future payments arrive as a single $25,000 check. The board also awarded a $31,000 fueling mat contract to Petroleum Management Services, the low bidder, and approved ADA engineering contracts with Stark Architects for Town Hall and the Council on Aging.