Grant Sought For Putnam Farm Barn

ORLEANS – As Putnam Farm continues to expand upon its agricultural mission, a new facility could allow growers on the property to better clean, prepare and store their produce.
 
The conservation commission on April 15 voted to seek a state grant to help fund the construction of a new agricultural barn on the Rock Harbor Road property. The board also voted to use $50,000 in existing conservation funds as a 20 percent match to the grant if awarded.
 
The farm, which the town purchased in 2010, currently houses 20 farming plots that are utilized by local growers. There are future plans to create as many as eight more plots on the property, which Conservation Agent John Jannell said would be the last ones that the site can accommodate.
 
A barn used to be housed on the property, but Jannell said efforts to restore it lagged and the building fell into disrepair before being torn down in 2020.
 
“The barn suffered a little bit of demolition through neglect, I would say,” Jannell told the commission.
 
But a food security infrastructure grant offered through the state Department of Agricultural Resources could help fund the construction of an improved facility that would allow space for cold storage inside, as well as covered space outdoors to clean and wash produce before it is transported offsite and sold at local farmers’ markets.
 
The proposed 720-square-foot barn would include space to refrigerate goods inside. An adjacent space would be designated as an area for growers to clean and wash their harvest. On the opposite side of the refrigerated area, an outdoor space with a 10-foot overhang would be reserved for public use and educational programming.
 
The town consulted with Josh Schiff, farm manager for the Chatham Bars Inn, on how the barn should be designed. While the former barn was situated near two existing wetlands on the property, Jannell said the new structure likely would be built in the area of the farm’s parking lot.
 
Commissioner Dick Hilmer, who is part of a working group that has been exploring options for the new barn, said the town is in good standing to take advantage of the grant.
 
“We’re in a very special place,” he said. “We have this property, we have the growers. The growers are very excited. They want to get into the food chain.”

The catch? The grant, which has a May 5 deadline, needs to be prepared and submitted quickly. Rick Francolini, an Orleans resident and longtime Putnam advocate, is working to put together the grant application.

“I’ve been internalizing it, I’ve been researching it. I’ve been digging into the details,” he said. “I’m not a professional grant writer, but I’ve learned a lot of things by doing. I’m going to do the best possible job I can, drafting this really quickly.”

But the speed with which the grant needs to be filed was raised as a concern by some commission members, as was the necessary $50,000 match from the conservation fund. Jannell said the match would dedicate nearly half of the $104,000 available in the fund to the barn project.

“I am concerned about that, because we have outstanding undefined commitments to other activities that aren’t currently covered,” said Commissioner Walter North.

Judith Bruce of the commission echoed North’s concerns, noting that the commission has a number of properties under its jurisdiction that it is charged with maintaining using conservation funds. But she also recognized the importance of seizing upon the grant to help improve upon the efficiency and safety of the farm’s operations.

“It would make me happier if we could go to town meeting to get this $50,000 project match funded and leave the conservation fund out of it completely,” she said. “But the timing is what it is, and again it would be really unfortunate to lose this opportunity.” Bruce said she would feel more comfortable utilizing the $50,000 if an article could be prepared for October’s special town meeting seeking to restore the conservation fund.

David Lyttle of the commission said in his past experience as town moderator, that request would be “very well received” by voters.

Still others on the commission questioned whether authorizing and building the barn would expand operations at the farm beyond its intended scope.

“Maybe it’s just me, but it’s almost like we’re kind of entering into a commercial business here,” said Jerry Wander of the commission. “We are supporting and doing that, and is that our charge?”
 
“What we are doing is supporting agriculture, which is one of the uses this property was purchased for,” Commission Chair Drusy Henson said.

Jannell said the town is expected to hear back on whether it received the grant in August or September.

“We are unified in proceeding with the buildout of this property for conservation and agriculture,” he said.

 Email Ryan Bray at ryan@capecodchronicle.com