Southbridge Subcommittee Advances Planters Grant, Rail Trail Orders, and Digital Equity Deal

Select Board · Meeting of February 5, 2026

Southbridge's Planning and Development Subcommittee voted unanimously Thursday to advance a $3,000 AARP beautification grant application, four Quinnabaug Valley Rail Trail change orders totaling $43,520, and a digital equity services contract to the full Town Council. Community volunteer Bernadette Mead presented her Southbridge Streetscapes initiative, telling the subcommittee the downtown planters had gone largely unplanted in recent years and that she had already secured $1,583 from the Southbridge Cultural Council grant toward a roughly $3,000 total budget. The subcommittee also cleared a $2,193.21 transfer from a Town Council Reserve account carrying an $80,000 balance to close out a longstanding CDBG park grant and reconcile an outstanding Action Environmental Corporation invoice of $17,900.

A town staffer identified as Katie described a Bright Futures contract to pair older adult digital learners with student coaches at the community center and library, funded through a Massachusetts Broadband Institute digital equity grant. The AARP grant result is expected in April 2026.

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Source: the Select Board meeting of February 5, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.