ARPA funds will pay for repair, renovation projects in Buckingham

What will the rest of Buckingham County’s American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds be spent on? Supervisors answered part of that question last week, voting to approve funding for several projects during their Monday, July 8 meeting.

Buckingham County Administrator Karl Carter outlined multiple projects the county’s finance committee had recommended for approval. Just as a reminder, ARPA funds were given out by the federal government to counties to spend on county operations, as a way of re-igniting the economy after the COVID-19 pandemic. They do come with some restrictions. They can’t be used for just anything.

The federal guidelines say ARPA money can be spent on “investments in water, sewer and broadband infrastructure,” as well as general economic recovery or any project providing “economic assistance to small businesses, households, and hard-hit industries.” In this case, the finance committee looked at a list of different proposals and weighed both the benefits and if they fit the requirements.

“We took some requests in and the committee recommended these (projects),” Carter told supervisors.

What’s the ARPA funds used for?

First off was a request to give STEPS $25,000, to help fund the regional homeless shelter. This would be a 60 to 80-unit apartment building with an emergency shelter and supportive housing for unsheltered residents, with a current plan to be built in Farmville. Currently, STEPS helps people by placing them in temporary motel housing, something they told the Herald earlier this year wasn’t seen as a long-term solution.

They’ve gotten help from the counties in the region to fund the project, with $75,000 from Nottoway County. Prince Edward County and the town of Farmville paid $100,000, respectively. Buckingham supervisors agreed to give STEPS the $25,000.

Also on Monday, supervisors heard requests to spend ARPA funds on a new EMS vehicle, which would cost $65,000. The finance committee also recommended using the money to pave Station One, the 911 site in Dillwyn.

“I don’t think that place has been paved at least since we’ve taken over,” Carter told supervisors. “That asphalt is showing some wear and tear and needs to be taken care of.”

Also, the county’s EMS helipad needs to be cleaned and painted. Carter asked for $6,000 in ARPA funds to be spent on that project.

Projects all meet requirements

Carter explained that all of these projects meet the requirements federal officials set out.

“We can spend (the money) on county operations,” Carter said. “Funding agencies, building something and buying vehicles, that’s normal operations.”

Supervisors agreed, signing off with a unanimous approval of each request.

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