THE "FRIENDS AND ARPA FUNDS

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Katie Buckley is another Director for the “Friends” and was Guilford’s first ever appointed Town Administrator when Anne Rider (President of the Friends) was a member of Guilford’s three-person selectboard.

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Following her time as Guilford’s Town Administrator, Katie became commissioner of the Department of Housing and Community Development and is currently the Director of the Federal Funding Assistance Program at the Vermont League of Cities and Towns (VLCT)

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When ARPA money flooded Vermont, Buckley became the VLCT Director for the ARPA Coordination and Assistance Program to help municipalities navigate the federal requirements to administer those funds.

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3 businesses of the 200+ in Guilford were awarded about $60,000 in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds.

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All three businesses were directly associated with the Friends of Algiers. Two of them paid their rent to the Friends and the other business owner is a sitting director on their board.

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The previous managers of the Guilford Country Store were one of those businesses. Anne Rider petitioned for ARPA funds to assist with the salaries of the employees at the store and they were awarded over $40,000.

 

The store is housed in a building which is owned by the “Friends.” Whomever operates the community store, pays their rent to the Friends for that privilege.

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Several months following their award, the recipients of those ARPA dollars dissolved their relationship with the Friends and left town.

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State Representative Sara Coffee was at the Country Store making sandwiches during her campaign and the timing of this ARPA award is suspect. Was Sara being paid to make sandwiches backed with ARPA funds OR was she making sandwiches for free and campaigning at a 501c3?

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In 2022, Representative Sara Coffey stepped down from the Broad Brook Community Center (BBCC) board of directors. However, starting in 2019 Sara spearheaded a group, which included Katie Bukley, to raise $2.3 million for the BBCC project.

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After the first three businesses associated with the Friends received their ARPA awards, the selectboard established an ARPA Advisory Committee. Zon, acting as Chair of the selectboard, nominated himself to be the liaison to that Committee.

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The BBCC was then awarded over $50,000 in ARPA funds to purchase an emergency diesel generator. This was done even after noted complaints of the added tax burden to maintain a “certified emergency generator.”

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Anne Rider (President of the Friends) then petitioned and was awarded $29,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funds to purchase a display cooler. This cooler is utilized by whomever manages the Guilford Country Store and pays their rent to the Friends.

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