Sidewalk improvements, youth services on budget for CDBG grants

Mar 15, 2022

Community Development Program Manager Jaime Rebhan-Buckminster shared the progress of state grants helping Wareham fund several local organizations and services with members of the Select Board during its Tuesday night meeting.

The state’s Community Development Block Grants are providing hundreds of thousands of dollars to programs and services around Wareham, as they have for many years. Rebhan-Buckminster works for the Community Opportunities Group, which has managed some of Wareham’s grants for years.

Of activities and services funded for fiscal year 2020, about 30% of the activities budget is going toward replacing sidewalks at Bayview Park in Onset, according to presented plans.

Other activities funds are going toward the housing rehabilitation program, public social services, program delivery and general administration costs, Rebhan-Buckminster said.

Of the monies going toward public services, the organizations receiving funds include the Christopher Donovan Day School, The Family Pantry at Damien’s Place, GATRA Transportation and Wareham Area Committee for the Homeless.

Some funds were earmarked for the Boys and Girls Club, Rebhan-Buckminster said, but after its closure, she’s looking for another youth services group in need.

There was some discussion among board members of how much oversight the board retains in the reallocation of CDBG funds within budgeted programs. Member Jim Munise said he’d appreciate the board being informed before reallocations to planned budgets were made, like in the case of the $40,000 that had been earmarked for the Boys and Girls Club.

Town Administrator Derek Sullivan chimed in to say that if the town doesn’t use the CDBG funds quickly, it stands to lose the grants in the future.

“This is not easy bureaucratic work,” Sullivan said.

Board member Peter Teitelbaum said with budgeting in Covid-era times, the members “just have to roll with the punches here.”

The town receives so much in state grants, Rebhan-Buckminster said, because of the demand in town.

“Wareham has a high, unfortunately, a high need,” she said.