TOWN OF HUBBARDSTON — The Town of Hubbardston Local Emergency Planning Committee agreed to delay pursuing a FEMA equipment grant this year and instead work on upgrading its hazard mitigation plan so the town will be eligible for larger state and federal grants, a committee staff member said.

The decision follows advice from Ray Farren of the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency, who recommended seeking a planning grant rather than applying immediately for equipment such as a generator. "He said that what we have done in last year is fine as a local, hazard mitigation plan. But if we wanted to go for grants, then we really need to upgrade that plan," the staff member said. The committee said an upgraded, more detailed hazard mitigation plan is usually required for FEMA approval.

Why it matters: FEMA and related state grants typically require an updated, detailed hazard mitigation plan before awarding larger recovery or resilience funds. Committee members said applying without that update would be unlikely to succeed; upgrading the plan would also allow the town to seek future equipment funding.

The committee reported difficulty completing an online pre-application because the town must provide a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) from SAM.gov before it can submit the FEMA application. "I needed the Sam.gov number," the staff member said, noting the police department has a SAM.gov entry but the town must register its own UEI to proceed.

Committee members described the scale of the planning task. The staff member cited a sample "hardwood plan" used as a model, saying it ran about 350 pages and contained extensive narrative that must be converted into actionable items. The committee discussed the option of hiring a consultant to prepare the upgraded hazard mitigation plan; sources suggested consultant fees could be incorporated into a grant award but would require the town to provide a local match. "This is a 75, 20 5 percent. So, the grant will cover 75%, but the town's gotta come up with 25%." The staff member said the town's share could be "15 to $20,000," based on an estimate from Nate.

EMPG funds and local equipment: The committee said it has received $2,700 through the Emergency Management Performance Grant (EMPG). The staff member said the money is proposed to buy laptops and a TV monitor to set up a shared conference room that can be converted quickly into an Emergency Operations Center (EOC) at 48 Gardner Road. "Laptops for ELC and this TV monitor for, that would go into the conference room," the staff member said. The committee noted the conference room will not be usable immediately and that some site work is needed before equipment can be installed.

Radios and communications: Committee members reviewed existing radios and interoperability concerns. The staff member said some radios previously passed down from MEMA may not be easily programmable and that testing will be required to determine compatible frequencies. One participant, Stacey, said she had obtained quotes for backup generator systems and would follow up on pricing for the school solar project; Stacey also said contractors "came out last week" and "they're gonna get me priced this week." Members discussed that local topography and line-of-sight limits may constrain radio range and that cell towers and FirstNet service could help in normal conditions but may fail if power to a tower is lost.

Training, planning and operations: The committee intends to spend the coming year developing policies, an incident library, and practice exercises. The staff member said they will create short training presentations on EOC skill sets and updated ICS/EOC forms and encouraged members to attend regional EOC training sessions (three options mentioned, including an in-person session at the Holden Public Safety Complex and a simultaneous virtual session). The staff member also said she had arranged for three Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) volunteers, and she will attend the national preparedness summit in San Antonio; registration was cited at $850 for that summit.

Consultant, procurement and next steps: The committee discussed that engaging a consultant to prepare an upgraded hazard mitigation plan would likely trigger procurement rules; the staff member said that projects over $5,000 would probably require a bid process. The group agreed to spend time this year compiling equipment lists, reviewing radios, and developing draft policies and an action-plan template to support future grant applications. "If it's important somewhere, they'll find it," the staff member said when discussing potential town funding for the required match.

Planning next meeting: Committee members settled on a target date of May 20 for the next meeting to continue work on the plan and on equipment procurement.

Ending: The committee left planning tasks active for the year — updating SAM.gov registration and UEI data, preparing materials for a planning-grant application next year, testing radios, and using EMPG funds to buy laptops and a monitor for the shared conference/EOC space at 48 Gardner Road.