Clarksburg officials heard good news Wednesday on the road funds front.

CLARKSBURG, Mass. — The town is getting a boost in highway funds this year.

The release by Gov. Charlie Baker of $100 million in state Chapter 90 funds has put some $37,000 into the town's coffers and relieved worries about the upcoming Gates Avenue bridge project.

"They have released it and we have received confirmation from the DOT that our allotment for the fiscal year we are currently in has risen from $75,287 to $112,930," reported Town Administrator Carl McKinney on Wednesday night. "And this is really good news for us in a couple of ways, because we were at about $270,000, our balance in our Chapter 90 account.

"Looking at the Gates Avenue bridge, talking with engineers, we were somewhere between $260,000 to $280,00 to replace that culvert. ... It looked we were going to be about $10,000 to $12,000 short."

Officials had been considering asking for the extra funds — if needed — at town meeting or waiting to bid the project after the beginning of the fiscal year.   

The infusion of $37,000 brings the account to about $308,000. Minus $2,200 for a study with the Berkshire Regional Planning Commission and $26,000 for engineering on Gates Avenue, the account will be about $280,000, the high side of the construction estimate.

"This is great news," McKinney said. "We won't have to hold up Gates Avenue."

The town will also be getting back $46,656.90 from the state in reimbursements for work on the East Road Bridge.

The state had held back free cash a couple years ago because of erroneous accounting. McKinney said the town's auditor, Thomas Scanlon of Scanlon & Associates, had identified expenses mislabeled as "sewer repairs." McKinney said one was the $17,000 for the East Road project, which was straightened out at town meeting by transferring funds from the sewer enterprise account; the second should have been a reimbursement from the state, also for the East Road Bridge.

That reimbursement has now been approved.

"So that zeroes out that deficit in that account for $64,000 ... that's $64,000 more in free cash they will allow us to use,"  McKinney said. "This will add to our free cash certification for fiscal year '17.  We can't use it for 18 months."

Chairman Jeffrey Levanos described it as "money in the bank."

In other road news, West Cross Road engineering is moving apace, although a couple weeks later than anticipated because of state approvals. McKinney said he hopes to have bidding documents ready by March with the anticipation of having the entire project wrapped by December.

Selectman William Schrade asked if an informational meeting was planned for the public.

McKinney thought that was a good idea and that the project engineer could be invited to answer any questions.

"I just think it's important to keep everyone informed when it happens," said Schrade. "People will realize there may be some inconvenience and the bigger picture is that we'll have it fixed completely and they'll have something to ride on."

In other business, McKinney informed the board that the Berkshire Housing Authority had become the signatory for a long-defunct grant program.

The program had provided grants more than two decades ago for people to fix up their houses. If they kept their property for a certain period of time the grant was forgiven; if they sold before then, they had to repay all or part of the grant.

"These people who took advantage of that program in years past have a lien against their house ... so if they're looking to sell it or refinance it, things of that nature, they need to have an authorized signatory to release the lien," McKinney said.

 The board also accepted two donations — from the Clarksburg VFW and Stateline Realty (owned by McKinney) — totally $150 to jump start the Town Hall Facade Improvement Fund.

An estimated $3,000 is needed to repair the deteriorating alcove at the front entrance of the building. Because of lead paint, scraping and repainting was deemed to costly. McKinney envisioned covering the exterior wall with good vinyl or cedar shakes, and repairing the ceiling. The town would also ask McCann Technical School, whose students put a new roof on the police garage, to help with the work.

"People are getting their tax money back so if you want to donate ... ." suggested Levanos. McKinney chimed in that donations are tax-deductible.

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