The town of Wareham is receiving two years of state grant money in one year, the Board of Selectmen heard at its meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 3.

The information came from Wayne Darragh, President of Community Opportunities Group, which administers grants for the town. Darragh said that due to an influx of state funding, the state Department of Housing and Community Development is giving Wareham its Community Development Block Grant money for fiscal years 2022 and 2023 at the same time. 

The $1.65 million comes at a time when there is still some unspent money left over from previous years’ grants. 

Tuesday’s meeting was the second of two required public hearings about the grants. The Select Board and local residents were able to ask Darragh questions about potential uses for the grants. Darragh and the Board discussed possible places where the money could go.

“One thing that has become apparent… is that there’s been a real need and demand for a housing rehab program,” Darragh said.

The town used some of the $825,000 in grant money that it received in fiscal year 2019 for this purpose, but did not mention a housing rehab program in its last two grant applications. Darragh suggested saving “a significant portion” of the $1.65 million for such a program.

He also suggested increasing spending on social services by 50%. 

Select Board member Alan Slavin suggested using the $1.65 million to form a new Wareham Boys and Girls Club, replacing the one that closed in April 2021, or making a contribution to the construction of the new Damien’s location on Marion Road.

“We have an opportunity here to do a serious, well-funded project,” Slavin said, “get it done and have some real long-term benefits. Not for a year or two, but 20 years.”

Select Board member Jared Chadwick, who has “done a huge amount of substantial research” on the possibility of opening a new Boys and Girls Club, was skeptical of the idea. He said that any such club would have to be approved by the Boys and Girls Clubs of America.

“It’s extremely hard to start up,” he said. “If people are interested in doing this, please reach out to me, because the last time I brought it up, not a lot of people were willing to do it. It’s not easy.” 

The Boys and Girls Club received $35,000 in grant money in fiscal year 2020, but when the club closed, the town redirected the money to Wareham Community Youth Empowerment. 

Slavin said he was “nervous” about years-old projects that are still not fully-funded, such as the planned makeover of Bayview Park in Onset and various sidewalk projects. 

“I think we’re running out of time with Bayview Park,” he said. “The more we wait, the more the cost of doing this increases.” 

Darragh said that the town is “just getting started” on the $825,000 it received in fiscal year 2021. So far, portions of the money have already gone to Damien’s Place Family Food Pantry and Turning Point. There is also money for a new sidewalk on Highland Avenue, a building study for 195 Main St., which Darragh called “dilapidated,” and a new domestic violence training program for the Wareham Police Department.

“We haven’t got that off the ground yet,” Darragh said, “but hopefully we can get that up and running shortly.” 

The hearing was continued to a later date.