“It’s an unusual opportunity, and we couldn’t not apply for this because we are really trying to make sure that we can do everything possible to make the elections safe,” accessible to voters and secure, Westport Island Deputy Municipal Agent Gaye Wagner said about a $5,000 grant from the non-profit Center for Tech and Civic Life. 

According to CTCL Executive Director Tiana Epps Johnson’s Oct. 15 letter to Selectmen’s Chair George Richardson, the town has until Dec. 31 to spend the funds and until Jan. 31 to send CTCL a report.

In Monday’s UberConference selectmen’s meeting and an email to reporters later, Wagner said the priorities will be fans or a venting system for the Town Hall, to maintain air flow Nov. 3, “which will be a tad more challenging in November ... when all doors and windows open is not as welcome to workers” as in July, she added; security equipment, possibly a locking, fireproof file cabinet for election materials; and a tent for voters waiting to enter the polls.

Selectmen unanimously voted for Richardson to sign the agreement with CTCL.

In other news, the town office’s new generator kicked on “instantly” in a recent 45-minute outage and shut off when the outage ended, Richardson reported. “Nice,” Second Selectman Gerald Bodmer said.