SUNDERLAND — Discussions around the potential South County Senior Center location at 23 Plumtree Road continued Monday evening, as the Select Board laid out a rough timeline and potential funding sources if it ends up pursuing the building.

The board picked up the conversation it had started the previous week around the former Sinauer Associates/Oxford University Press building, discussing in further detail potential funding sources for buying the building while also highlighting additional costs that would come with owning the property, including electricity, propane, insurance and septic bills.

The 12,000-square-foot building has been appraised by the town for $1.8 million and is listed for sale by Colebrook Realty Services for $1.95 million. Due to state laws concerning municipal purchases, the town can only pay up to the appraised value, which could also present a roadblock for Sunderland if the seller will not go below its listed price.

“People are interested and curious about the building. … Everyone I talked to says it’s a beautiful building, but they want us to do our due diligence,” said Town Administrator Geoff Kravitz. “I think we’re exploring the options. … It’s going to be hard to fund it all ourselves.”

Kravitz also laid out three potential scenarios if the town were to borrow the full amount of money to pay for the building. A 30-year mortgage would add about $80 per year onto an average taxpayer’s bill, a 20-year mortgage would add about $94 per year and a 15-year mortgage would add roughly $110 per year.

Select Board members, however, signaled that requiring the town to take on the full burden of the purchase is a “worst-case scenario,” in the words of Chair Nathaniel Waring, and that option may cause them to pass up the opportunity.

“Can we find the magic number the town would be comfortable absorbing?” Waring said. “If we can’t get any grant money, I’m not sure $1.8 million is something the town can afford.”

The two main funding streams discussed Monday are the Community Development Block Grant program, which could provide up to $1 million if Sunderland applies on its own or up to $1.7 million if all three Senior Center towns apply; and the Community Preservation Act (CPA), though the town will need to look into it to see if the purchase would be eligible.

The block grant program has an application deadline of March 4 and requires communities to show they are prepared to help fund the project they are proposing.

In Sunderland’s case, that would mean holding a special Town Meeting and a special election in the first two months of 2024 to authorize enough borrowing authority to qualify for the grant.

Waring suggested proposing a more palatable borrowing article than $1.8 million, which could then be authorized by residents and allow the town to move forward with pursuing the grant. If Sunderland doesn’t get the grant, voters could then rescind the borrowing authority or approve more to buy the building.

As the Select Board mulls further financial implications, members asked Kravitz to get more information about the building, including how much space the Senior Center would require, and more clarity on the block grant process.

Even if the town and its residents ultimately decide to purchase the building in the early spring, an outside, private buyer could snatch the property up before the wheels of government can get moving.

Or the seller could refuse the $1.8 million bid.

“Buying property doesn’t happen quickly,” Kravitz said.

Chris Larabee can be reached at clarabee@recorder.com or 413-930-4081.