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Durham County reserves $750,000 in ARPA funds for City digital equity efforts; school‑capital ILAs to follow
Summary
County staff said Durham received $62.4M in ARPA funds and reserved $750,000 in an interlocal agreement to support the City’s Digital Equity program, including outdoor Wi‑Fi at parks and hotspot service for about 600 qualified households; staff signaled additional ILAs with Durham Public Schools for school capital work were forthcoming.
Durham County staff briefed commissioners on Aug. 5 that the county’s American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) allocation totals $62,445,275 and that several project agreements and encumbrances remain to meet federal deadlines.
John Keefer, County grants administrator, described an interlocal agreement reserving $750,000 for a City of Durham Digital Equity project that would provide outdoor high‑speed internet at several Parks and Recreation sites, hotspot or MiFi service to more than 600 income‑qualified households, senior digital readiness programs in communal living facilities, and workforce‑oriented youth training. The Board’s ARPA framework earmarked the $750,000 from the county’s SLFRF award, and the proposed project would run through Sept. 30, 2026.
Keefer said roughly 75 percent of that $750,000 would support direct internet service delivery at specified recreation sites and through devices for qualified households, while some funding would support salary costs for a Digital Navigator and a Digital Inclusion & Community Engagement Manager within the City’s program. Staff indicated additional ARPA‑funded interlocal agreements with Durham Public Schools for pre‑K school capital projects are under development; those projects will carry heightened federal reporting and compliance requirements and were planned to be presented to the Board in greater detail at a later meeting.
What’s next: Staff will return with detailed scopes of work and budgets for proposed ARPA ILAs and present ILA agreements for Board approval at future meetings.
