DEERFIELD — The Selectboard officially approved a grant agreement for the 1888 Building project with the Community Preservation Committee last week, as the town prepares to move the process to site plan review.

Voters at the Oct. 7 Special Town Meeting approved the appropriation of $3.8 million in Community Preservation Act (CPA) money to renovate the 1888 Building into a modern Town Hall that will bring all municipal offices under one roof. The CPA money, which will be used for the historic renovation aspect of the project, will supplement a $4 million congressional earmark from U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern that will be used to construct an addition on the west side of the building.

While not always required, the town opted to sign a written grant agreement on the project with the Community Preservation Committee due to the large amount of funding that was appropriated by residents, according to interim Town Administrator Christopher Dunne.

“We don’t always have grant agreements between the CPC and the applicant they’re awarding funds to. In this case, counsel advised, given the sheer magnitude of the funding and the fact that the committee had placed some conditions on approval of the funding, that we memorialize that in a grant agreement,” Dunne explained. “It’s an opportunity to create a paper trail for the conditions the committee placed on the project.”

As per the agreement, the 1888 Building must be completed within five years, otherwise the town must request an extension or return the money; all interior and exterior work shall comply with the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation of Historic Properties; project updates must be submitted every six months; a Community Preservation Committee member must serve on the 1888 Building Advisory Committee until completion; and any future changes to the historical nature of the building will require advance review and written approval from the Community Preservation Committee.

On top of a full interior renovation, which will abate all contaminants, modernize mechanical systems and make the building accessible, the CPA funding will also include rehabilitation work on the historic exterior assets of the building, including brick repointing, ivy removal, repair of gutters and the removal of all external structures that have been added over the years.

With the grant agreement approved, the town will be moving the process forward to site plan review with the Planning Board on Monday, Dec. 9, at 6:30 p.m. If the project is approved by the Planning Board, and if everything else with the project stays on track, Selectboard Chair Tim Hilchey said the Selectboard will begin working over the winter in anticipation of going out to bid in March. From there, he said the town will “hopefully be naming a contractor” in late April and work could start in late May or early June.

Kuhn Riddle Architects has handled the design and P3 Project Planning Professionals is serving as the owner’s project manager.

“We’re optimistic that we’re going to go out to bid in March,” Hilchey said.

Chris Larabee can be reached at clarbaee@recorder.com.