LANESBOROUGH, Mass. — The town would only see about $60,000 in USDA grants for the proposed public safety building but could finance it through a loan with the federal department.

Last month, the Select Board voted to work with RCAP Solutions as a consultant in the financing application for the U.S. Department of Agriculture funding. This will have to be formalized in a community service agreement.

"My help is writing the entire application for you for free," representative Madison Wellman explained, as the USDA funds non-government organizations like RCAP Solutions to assist communities with the application process.

The Public Safety Building Committee is in the final steps of recommending four designs to the Select Board. Chair Mark Siegars reported that the board has everything but the estimated cost for each, which is being processed and expected soon.

Aside from choosing an option, funding is a huge consideration for this project. At last year's annual town meeting, voters shot down a nearly $6 million proposal for a combined police and ambulance facility.

"The USDA does an awful lot more than simply make sure we're producing enough food, fiber, and timber. They're also the main economic development engine at the federal level for rural America," Wellman explained.

"They have a very broad collection of grant programs that rural communities can apply to, one of them being the Community Facilities Program. Community Facilities is probably the most flexible program they have. It can be invested in just about anything."

The program can help provide funding for public safety buildings to purchase equipment but typically, the grant funds cannot be used for construction itself. This would require a USDA loan, which requires more financial work to prove that the town can repay the debt.