Whitman Capital Committee Weighs TIPS Match, School Paving Cost Against Tight Fund

WHITMAN — December 10, 2025 — Whitman Capital Planning Committee grapples with a $220,000 federal grant match and a near-$1 million school paving request against a capital stabilization fund of just $476,889. Meeting without Chair Steve Boyce on December 10, committee members outlined a plan to cover the $220,000 annual TIPS corridor contribution — part of a local match needed to protect a potential $15 million federal South Avenue improvement grant — by drawing on a fire vehicle article, an ambulance purchase account, overlay surplus, and possibly free cash. A Whitman-Hanson Regional School District request to repave the high school parking lot, with quotes of $989,000 and $998,000, would cost Whitman approximately $510,000 after applying the town's 64 percent regional share and fiscal policy — more than projected available capital. Members said they would ask the school facilities subcommittee to consider scaling or phasing the project. The committee also floated a policy of routing unspent capital article balances back to capital stabilization rather than free cash, noting that $3.2 million in requests is stacked against roughly $510,000 available to spend.