By Wayne E. Rivet

Staff Writer

HARRISON — Seeing nearby towns land community resilience grants to improve infrastructure, Andrea Asken-Dunn felt Harrison should also toss its hat in the ring for state funds.

As founder of the local Resilient Harrison group (whose goal is to “help the town save money while increasing its resilience in the face of climate disruption”), Asken-Dunn pitched the idea to the Select Board last Thursday.

They liked what they heard.

These surrounding towns already landed CRP grants:

• Bridgton, $50,000, open space plan.

• Waterford, $48,440, town hall/fire house heat pumps and community garden/education program. And $49,979 to install renewable energy solar system on the office portion of the town municipal building.

• Paris, $41,695, police and fire station solar upgrades.

Grants can range from $5,000 to $50,000.

Asken-Dunn outlined the grant process, which includes the Select Board signing with a “service provider” who submits enrollment materials and helps either an assigned person or group, in this case it could be Resilient Harrison, in holding workshops to prioritize climate resilience and clean energy actions, and ultimately applying for the grant.

Most area towns use CEBE (Center for an Ecology Based Economy) of Norway. CEBE representative Claire McGlinchey was in attendance.

Possibilities include installing heat pumps, rooftop solar panels, and electric vehicle charging stations, as well as conducting energy efficiency studies and undertaking weatherization projects.

“The list has over 70 possible projects in eight categories. The actions are all related in some way to climate resiliency, but there is quite a variety,” Asken-Dunn pointed out. “This grant is competitive, and it is becoming more so with each round, but it doesn’t compete or conflict with any other grant we might receive.”

The Select Board ultimately reviews and acts on the grant application.

The Board agreed to sign on with CEBE and gave the green light to move forward on the grant process. At this time, there is no town expenditure involved.

“Thank you (and your team) for all the hard work. I think it’s important that we appreciate your efforts to make Harrison greener,” Select Board Chairman Matt Frank said.

In other town business:

Deputy leaving. Harrison will soon be down one local deputy with the departure of Jared Smith, who is returning to Colorado for a position with the local police department.

“They’re from Colorado. The call to home is too big. They miss home. So, he accepted a post back toward his hometown,” Town Manager Cass Newell said. “He’s become a nice part of our community, so I am sad to see him go.”

The Sheriff’s Office will seek a replacement, but once Smith leaves, the CCSO will plug in substitutes until a new resident deputy is found.

More time to decide. Decisions on how to use federal American Rescue Plan Act money remain, but Harrison is no longer on the clock. Newell informed the Select Board that the ARPA deadline has been extended from this December to Dec. 31, 2024.

“So, we have much more time to really solidify what you’d like to do with the money,” Newell said. “We really need to figure it out. It’s my recommendation that we really buckle down and figure out at least one tangible thing. What do you really want to do?”

One new item added to the wish list (it includes buses for the rec department, playground upgrades, Crystal Lake bathroom and changing rooms, boat ramp improvements, cell towers to improve phone and broadband coverage, and utility vehicle for the fire department) is making more funds available to assist the health officer (Cathy Pinkham) in her work.

“She’s very resourceful,” Newell said, but there are occasions — not covered by General Assistance guidelines — when funds are needed to assist local residents. The assistance may include providing gas cards or filling an oil or propane tank.

“There are specific mathematical calculations that the state requires (for a person to be eligible for GA funds). I have a hard time seeing someone in front of me requesting something because they have fallen on hard times, but know (as the GA administrator) they’re not going to qualify through the state system. It’s ‘no’ because they own a home or own a vehicle or they have a part-time job,” Newell said. “This is not by any means putting the state in a negative light. That’s not my intention at all. It’s very hard to work within that box when someone is saddled with medical bills and they still own their home.”

So, Newell often needs to be “creative.” She seek out other options to help.

“The health officer is super resourceful because she’s been around a long time. She has a lot of contacts. She’ll get various organizations to donate a cord of wood and then something will come up and we’ll get half off something for the clients, and then I’ll have a little extra. We get creative basically. I’m going to help in some way or another. I’m not going to send somebody away and say, ‘good luck.’ That’s not going to happen. That’s not me. I’m very passionate about this. I’ve always been very passionate about food insecurity and housing insecurities,” Newell said “Anybody that’s in this town, I want you with a roof over your head. I want you warm or cool, depending on the season. And I want you and your family to have food at the end of the day. Meeting the basic needs sometimes is really hard.”

Officials upped the GA account to $8,000 this year. Newell would like to see a $4,000 to $5,000 boost (“that’s a good start”), especially with a hard winter predicted. Officials could support moving the needle to $10,000 (using ARPA funds).

Selectman Phil Devlin liked the idea, and thought a budget line for “public health” could be a way to include funds for community assistance, when needed.

One item board members agreed that needs to be at the top of the list is a fire study.

“My number one priority is the fire department study primarily because the citizens asked for it,” Selectman Nathan Sessions said. “My second priority is the changing rooms at Crystal (Lake). And if funds are needed that facilitate potential improvement in cell phone service, I just think that’s a very high priority.”

Newell agreed about the study, adding “I take it very seriously. I’m working on it. We just have to fit into the right one.” Harrison’s focus is squarely on whether the town needs a full-time chief and/or full or per diem firefighters/EMTs.

Trunkers needed! A year ago, some 38 “trunkers” made Halloween a blast for local children. A big turnout is expected for this year’s Trunk or Treat, but at the moment, the number of “trunkers” is coming up a little short. Newell made a public plea for community members to sign up to be “trunkers.”

Volunteers decorate their vehicles and use the trunk area to disperse Halloween treats to the little goblins and characters at Crystal Lake Park. It’s part of an ambitious Halloween event planned. Check the town’s website for more information.