Marshfield Housing Authority Approves $671,490 State Grant, Generator Fix

MARSHFIELD — April 7, 2026 — Marshfield Housing Authority approves $671,490 in state capital funds and clears five other unanimous votes at April 7 meeting. The Board of Commissioners approved Amendment 17 to the authority's state financial assistance contract, comprising $229,708 in fiscal year 2029 formula funding and $441,782 in ARPA grant money for Federal Pacific electrical panel replacement. The board also authorized a $14,841 change order with Systems Electrical Services Company to correct an illegal double-tap wiring condition discovered during the ongoing generator project at Grace Rider — a fix the executive director called essential to give the authority the future option of renting a portable generator large enough to power the full building in a prolonged outage. A unanimous vote authorized a contract with EV charging vendor Matcha for a two-port charging station at no upfront cost to the authority under a state grant program. The meeting's most extended discussion addressed the authority's winter storm response at Grace Rider, where the executive director disputed social media accounts alleging generator failure, defended staff's use of portable space heaters in congregate units, and said the Marshfield Fire Department removed those heaters without notifying management — a communication breakdown he called "absolutely outrageous."