The Camp Verde Town Council approved a list of projects to be financed by the American Rescue Plan Act at its Aug. 4 meeting.
The town was allocated $3,880,000 of funding assistance from ARPA, which President Joe Biden approved March 11 to, in part, provide relief to local governments still reeling from the effects of COVID-19.
Town staff prepared a recommended listof 23 projects the town could spend the money on, totaling an estimated $2,400,000 so far. More projects will likely be added to the list as time goes on, and any projects totaling more than $50,000 will be brought back to the town council for approval.
The approval of the initial list will allow town staff to move forward on acquiring bids, contractors and other necessary components to complete the projects as projects for this year must be used, or at least committed to a project, by Dec. 31, 2024.
Town Manager Russ Martin said the list they provided to the council included items they’d like to see completed, or at least started, in the next six weeks to six months.
“They feel comfortable that these are ones that they can accomplish [in that timeframe] if given the opportunity,” he said.
The council also approved moving a number of items from Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act funding to ARPA funds to complete.
There are many uses that ARPA funds can legally be puttoward: Public health, safety and economic impacts, premium pay, revenue loss and investments in infrastructure. Martin stressed the importance of the town’s chosen projects meeting the rules for ARPA funding, as anything found not to be in compliance by the U.S. Treasury will not be reimbursed and the town will be responsible for footing the bill.
That considered, several council members voiced their support of staff taking the lead on choosing projects to ensure the town is in compliance with ARPA funding rules.
“I would like to leave this list to the experts that sit in the room,” Council Member Jessie Murdock said. “I appreciate your work, and if there’s something that needs to be brought back, I will definitely be in support of it. As far as the list that’s presented tonight from our manager and our department heads and what we have to abide by and the list of rules, I feel it’s best to leave it at those who are more professional than I am in this setting.”
The list of projects the council approved include multiple upgrades for the Camp Verde Marshal’s Office, such as updating the department’s front doors to be ADA compliant and purchasing live scan fingerprint technology. The town will also be upgrading the animal control facilities to maintain compliance and ensure the health and safety of animals and employees.
Another project involves upgrading the police radio tower on Squaw Peak Communication Site to make it safer and more secure as it currently experiences frequent transmission failures,which is considered a safety hazard as police, fire and EMS work to respond to emergencies.
Other projects include adding a checkpoint station in the court security foyer, and improving the restrooms and installing a backup generator and automatic doors at the gym, which serves as the community evacuation center.
They also plan to buy digital sign boards to alert the public to emergency situations. The town will also purchase a large printer/scanner and wayfinding signage for State Route 260 and plan to provide broadband wireless to the sports complex and other parks for emergency information purposes, among other projects.
They also plan to fund multiple wastewater improvement projects, including work on Main Street, 3rd Street, Yaqui Circle and Dickison Circle as well as at the Hauler Station and the main sewers north of Interstate 17.
The project list received positive feedback from all of the council members.
“While we’ve got the money, let’s do it,” Council Member Jackie Baker said. “We have so many important things like these that need to be done … so let’s just go forward with every single thing that we can provide to the town.”
