A Southold Town Board decision to switch $199,000 in Community Development Block Grant funding intended for senior center bathroom renovations to instead install a generator at the Town Annex building will remain subject to written comment for two weeks.
The Town Board voted to reallocate the funding Feb. 25 and hold a public hearing at its regular meeting March 19 after town engineer Michael Collins brought it to their attention that the bathroom renovation project had “no guarantee that these federal funds will be disbursed if we finish the project.”
Councilman Greg Doroski said Mr. Collins and the Town Board had a larger conversation about the “uncertainty of federal funding coming back to Southold Town with some of the cuts that are going on in the federal government.” He added that, in conversations with contacts at the county level, Mr. Collins said “they had expressed some concern” about whether the town would be reimbursed for the renovations if they were completed.
The town was awarded $200,000 in federal funds in 2021 through the Community Development Block Grant program and originally decided it would use the money to fix the bathrooms at the Southold Senior Center. At the public hearing Tuesday, Councilwoman Jill Doherty said that while the amount approved for the bathrooms is being transferred to finance the generator installation, that project may not require that total amount.
Ms. Doherty said the town receives funding through the Community Development Block Grant program on an annual basis to fund local nonprofits, like CAST and Maureen’s Haven, and projects of the Town Board’s choosing. The bathrooms at the senior center have existing handicapped stalls, but she said they need “updating” overall.
“We felt that over time, since we haven’t done the work, that the priority has shifted,” Ms. Doherty said.
The need for a generator at the Town Annex building was exacerbated by a Feb. 20 power outage across the North and South forks after a box truck crashed into a transmission pole on County Road 48.
“It’s a real need that we have for safety,” Supervisor Al Krupski said of the generator.
Bob Bittner of Cutchogue asked for clarification about the reallocation of funds during Tuesday’s public hearing. He was the only resident to ask about the project.
Mr. Krupski said the Town Board spoke with the county to inform them of a greater need for a generator at the annex building, which the county approved.
Town attorney Paul DeChance explained that Community Development Block Grant funds are typically earmarked for a project when they are initially awarded. The town is able to reallocate that funding by giving residents notice and holding a public hearing about the funding shift in tandem with inter-municipality communication with the county.
“One of the benefits of doing work at the Town Hall Annex is we have a bond in place, that’s already been voted on that we’re already paying on, of monies that was available to pay for this,” Mr. Doroski explained. “The Town Board had a discussion and we did not want to be left holding the bag … if we did the work at the senior center and then we went to submit our voucher for repayment and that funding was not there.”
Mr. Doroski said there could be an opportunity to apply for grant funds to update the senior center’s bathrooms in the future or as part of the capital projects budget line.
“As it relates to this specific set of funding and our list of engineering projects that we’re working through right now, it seemed like it made sense to do that,” he said.
Public hearings provide residents the opportunity to voice their opinions about local projects and issues of concern in the town, and can influence decisions the Town Board makes regarding the allocation of funds or policies.
Written comments can be sent to Town Clerk Denis Noncarrow via email [email protected] or mail P.O. Box 1179, Southold, NY 11971
“That’s why we’re having [a public hearing],” Mr. Doroski said. “So we can gain community input and we can see is this a big enough priority that we should move forward without that certainty that we’re going to receive payment? Or should we move forward in the direction that the board has decided that we have this other need at the annex. We have a bond in place. There’s no fear of if we get paid or if we don’t — the money is there either way with no tax implications. It seemed like a win-win.”
