Douglas Select Board Redirects COVID Food Fund to Adult Social Center Pantry

DOUGLAS — December 16, 2025 — Douglas Select Board redirects a dormant COVID-era food fund to the Adult Social Center pantry and signs a new two-year power contract. The board voted unanimously Tuesday to reprogramme a surplus community food outreach donation account — created during the pandemic to feed vulnerable residents — so the Douglas Adult Social Center can stock a small food pantry open to residents of all ages, with roughly 600 Douglas SNAP recipients potentially affected if federal benefits are disrupted. Town Administrator Matt (last name not captured) separately reported that the town has locked in a 24-month municipal electricity supply contract with SmartestEnergy at 12.99 cents per kilowatt-hour, up about 6 percent from the prior 12.25-cent rate, covering an annual power budget of $414,222 across schools, water-sewer, and municipal facilities. The board also approved a full slate of annual business licenses subject to outstanding inspections and packet submissions, with two establishments flagged for fire-safety deficiencies including a structural floor concern and an out-of-date ANSUL system. The administrator warned the board that the state Cannabis Control Commission's newly adopted social consumption regulations create a three-year exclusivity period for socially disadvantaged business owners that he said "interferes with the market" and could disadvantage Douglas's existing cannabis retailer relative to a competing Uxbridge business.