Town of Hubbardston pursues FEMA BRIC funding to harden school with solar and a generator

The Town of Hubbardston’s emergency management committee discussed plans to pursue FEMA BRIC funding to make the local school more resilient, including a design study for solar panels and a backup generator.

The director told the committee the town is “getting about $38,000 to look at the school and put a design together for both solar and for the generator,” and that the hazard mitigation plan update is intended to support eligibility for the federal grant. Committee members said the design phase is nearing completion and could be ready for submission in the fall.

Members raised a range of cost estimates for the generator and solar work: one committee member said a used generator could lower the price to about $75,000, while others estimated new, large systems could drive costs well above $200,000. The director cautioned the committee the generator needed to be large enough to power critical facilities and that final pricing would depend on the design phase.

The committee also discussed leveraging any school grant to repurpose an older but serviceable generator for other town needs if the school receives funding and replaces older equipment. Director noted lease and legal issues linked to shelter use of the school appear resolved, which would support siting resiliency upgrades at the school building.

Next steps: complete the BRIC‑eligible design, refine budget estimates during the design phase, and prepare a BRIC application for the town’s fall grant cycle. The committee penciled in follow‑up work ahead of the town’s fall meeting.