West Warwick council obligates ARPA funds for trucks, IT, roads and youth center repairs; accepts state public-safety grant requiring 50% match

The West Warwick Town Council on Dec. 17 voted to obligate and reassign American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds across several previously approved projects and to accept an offered state recovery grant for public-safety facility improvements that carries a 50% local match requirement.

Finance staff explained the council was formalizing obligations per U.S. Treasury guidance so previously approved ARPA awards are properly encumbered. The council approved an interdepartmental agreement to obligate $400,000 previously allocated for a ladder and engine purchase for the fire department; a second agreement assigned ARPA funds to purchase a camera truck for the wastewater treatment facility; and a third agreement released residual ARPA funds from earlier projects back into the ARPA pool for re-obligation.

Council members also approved using ARPA funds for a small youth-center flooring replacement project. Finance staff identified the youth center flooring item as approximately $4,649 to replace a portion of epoxy flooring in the gym restroom.

On IT, the council approved an ARPA-funded request of $235,000 to begin a multi-year replacement and upgrade plan for the town’s computers and servers. Jeff Burnett, the town’s recently hired IT director, told the council that about 30–35 desktops are at or near end of life and that up to four servers and associated licensing also need replacement. “This is some of the things that we're doing with the proposal that's in front of you,” Burnett said, and asked the council to move the appropriation so staff can “get to work on that.”

The council authorized a multi-source funding package to proceed with road rehabilitation work with Venagro Materials LLC as the contractor. The funding plan combined remaining ARPA funds ($267,207.11), Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) reimbursement dollars from prior municipal road programs (about $323,000), approximately $400,000 from accrued interest in the ARPA account and an anticipated reimbursable portion of about $182,000 from RIDOT.

Finally, the council accepted a State Fiscal Recovery grant offered through the state for municipal public-safety infrastructure. The grant award is roughly $574,250 but requires a 50% local match. Town leaders said the requested local match ($574,250) would be covered by FY24 surplus funds or by anticipated FEMA recovery receipts. The fire chief said the grant would fund a package of improvements at the public safety complex, including replacement of sections of floor, roof repairs across the public safety complex (which incorporates Town Hall) and replacement of backup antennas on the complex roof used as a secondary communications path.

Officials said the state required commitment by a near-term date and the council recorded the acceptance to secure the award. No specific procurement contracts for the roof or antenna work were approved at the meeting; engineering and quotes have been obtained and staff said they would proceed to contract consistent with grant terms.