ARPA Update - January 6, 2023
The Town Council continues to discuss and receive additional information on ARPA proposals that have been submitted by Town and Board of Education staff and members of the public to date.
As of this writing a total of $3,754,934 has been appropriated. Additionally, during its January 5th meeting, the Town Council approved two appropriations totaling $52,500: (1) $27,500 to Gifts of Love to fund a furnace replacement and vehicle repairs, and: (2) $25,000 to begin permitting work for a Town-wide Fiber Network. The Fiber Network project would link approximately twenty Town and Board of Education facilities via fiber and is expected to provide enhanced reliability and significant annual operating savings for both the Town and the BOE. The project would be primarily funded by a $700,000 Urban Act Grant that was awarded by the State Bond Commission in December 2022 but will likely be offset by an additional future ARPA appropriation.
These appropriations for Gifts of Love and the Fiber project will be considered by the Board of Finance on January 23rd. In February, we anticipate that the Town Council and the Board of Finance will consider an appropriation in the amount of $45,000 to partially fund a project to update the Town’s Zoning Regulations. In addition, staff hope to have more information to share with Council about state ARPA funding that has been awarded for projects at the Senior Center. A “Proposed Funding Plan” worksheet outlining these approved and proposed projects can be found HERE.
Assuming approval of all pending requests before the Town Council and Board of Finance for January and February, the Town will have appropriated $3.85 million of its $5.4 million ARPA allocation. A total of $1.55 million will remain unobligated. Possible projects for the remainder of the funding are listed in gray at the bottom of the Proposed Funding Plan worksheet. A pie chart illustrating the distribution of the appropriated (approved), proposed and unallocated ARPA funding by functional area can be found below.
Please contact Grace Tiezzi, Assistant Town Manager, at gtiezzi@avonct.gov or (860) 409-4300 with questions.