West Hartford Town Council Appropriates Remaining ARPA Funds to Affordable Housing, Nonprofits, and Various Projects
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West Hartford Town Hall in winter. Photo credit: Ronni Newton (we-ha.com file photo)
The West Hartford Town Council voted unanimously, 9-0, on Tuesday night to appropriate more than $2.4 million in remaining American Rescue Plan Act funds to a variety of projects and initiatives.
By Ronni Newton
The Town of West Hartford had already committed a majority of funds awarded through the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA) to projects and initiatives, but prior to the deadline of Dec. 31, 2024, the Town Council on Tuesday night unanimously approved the appropriation of $2,445,788.16 to a range of uses that include extra funding for the town’s Affordable Housing Development Program, air quality assessment at the elementary schools, support for diversion of food scraps, an ADA consultant, and creating a trail from the University of Saint Joseph parking area to the Miracle League field on Asylum Avenue.
West Hartford was awarded $37,234,783.08 through ARPA – with $25,004,570 awarded directly to the town plus a share of county funds award through the State of Connecticut of $12,230,213.08. All must be appropriated by the end of 2024, and spent by the end of 2026.
“These allocations reflect our commitment to addressing critical community needs,” Ledwith said.
In addition to adding to the fund to support development to meet the growing demand for affordable housing, he noted that $175,000 in financial assistance will be split among 10 nonprofits “that serve our community in critical ways.” Those organizations include West Hartford Community Interactive, Noah Webster Foundation, Playhouse on Park, Interval House, West Hartford Community Theatre, West Hartford Symphony, West Hartford Women’s Chorale, Sara Whitman Hooker House, Underground Teen Center, and West Hartford Pride.
There will be $125,000 in funds used to hire an ADA consultant to guide upgrades to town facilities to ensure full compliance with ADA.
Public Works will receive $130,000 in funding for food scrap drop-off stations to support upcoming additional diversion efforts, Ledwith said. EV charging stations will be upgraded and while the town hopes to also receive a grant for additional EV infrastructure – that is separate. ARPA funds will also be used to purchase a utility vehicle for municipal parking.
The air quality study in the elementary schools is required by the state to take place every five years, and $700,000 in ARPA funds will be used for that project, which is already underway. Air quality systems are in the process of being upgraded at Duffy, with Webster Hill next on the list.
Construction of a trail from the USJ parking area to 1700 Asylum is estimated to cost $75,000, and that will be funded by ARPA as well, Ledwith said.
There is also just over $455,000 that will be used for projects that have already received ARPA funding from the town, but ended up costing more than budgeted. Those include the wayfinding portion of the Center Infrastructure Master Plan, police body cameras, pond restoration projects, and accessibility improvements to bridges at Westmoor Park and Spicebush Swamp. ARPA allows interagency transfer to public safety agencies only, and funds will be appropriated to reduce some of the requests for equipment for the upcoming budget.
Some of the roughly $2.4 million represents funds that had not previously been appropriated, but that figure also includes funds that had originally been allocated to other projects that came in under budget.
In total, the appropriations reflect the Council’s “commitment to addressing immediate and long-term needs,” Ledwith said.
Mayor Shari Cantor said that being awarded the ARPA funds was a very unique situation, and she thanked Ledwith as well as Matt Hart, the former town manager who was involved in the initial discussions, for their role in identifying projects that are important for the town’s future.
“I’m very proud of the transformational way in which West Hartford has used $37 million,” she said, for responding to the health crisis and economic cliff presented by the pandemic as well as by using the funds to “lay the foundation for a stronger and more inclusive future for West Hartford.”
The Affordable Housing Development Program, which was initially funded with $6 million and will now receive another $1 million, was one of the unique and significant investments by the town, as was using $1.3 million overall for a grant fund for small businesses and nonprofits.
ARPA funds have been allocated strategically, for immediate needs and to position the town for years to come, Cantor said. She specifically noted that the investment of $10 million in ARPA funds for the renovation of town center infrastructure will “revitalize the heart of our community,” while $3 million in funding for architectural costs for the new Elmwood Community Center will facilitate creation of a “hub” that will serve the community for generations to come.
“It’s certainly a big responsibility to spend this money,” Deputy Mayor Ben Wenograd said. Early on it was difficult to determine what ARPA funds could and couldn’t be used on, he said, and thanked Ledwith for his guidance. “I’m very proud to look at the spreadsheet and finally see a zero on the bottom.”
A PDF of the spreadsheet that indicates the status of ARPA funds is attached below.
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All this but no money for the flooding in our neighborhoods. At least we’ll have a new trail.
Our flooding problems persist but we have money for a trail?
How about the roads which are in horrible shape?
Looking forward to food scrap drop-off stations!! Pretty soon I won’t have enough “trash” to require wkly pick-up. More recyclables than trash — great!!