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Crawford council weighs ARPA uses as bathhouse repair and water project needs remain unresolved
Summary
Council members debated using ARPA funds to cover a $23,600 Ponderosa Villa bathhouse estimate and to support the Water Infiltration Gallery engineering contract but deferred any funding decision until more documentation and bids are gathered.
The Crawford City Council on Dec. 10 discussed allocating federal ARPA funds to local infrastructure needs, including engineering for the Water Infiltration Gallery and repairs to the Ponderosa Villa bathhouse, but took no funding action and scheduled further review for Dec. 19.
Council Member Brent Gebbie said ARPA documentation requirements — engineered reports, contracts or purchase receipts — are necessary to retain the money and cautioned there is limited time to prepare additional engineered projects if the current water project bid does not proceed. Mayor Shane Norman outlined the JEO-managed engineering bid process for the Infiltration Gallery and said the city is continuing to pursue that contract.
Ralene Suchor reported outreach to potential funders (Crawford Area Funds and the Sioux Dawes Foundation) regarding the Ponderosa Villa bathhouse repair and said she had not received responses. The council cited a Morford's Decorating Center Inc. estimate for the villa floor and wall repairs of about $23,600 and agreed to defer any decision to the next meeting so staff can collect more information; Morford's indicated they could start in the second to third week after approval.
Gebbie suggested that ARPA funds could be used for the Villa project but reiterated that the city must document expenditures and engineering to meet ARPA rules. Questions from residents included whether street work could be covered; Council President April Grant said ARPA spending should be tied primarily to water projects with only limited overlap for streets.
No motion to appropriate ARPA funds was made during the Dec. 10 meeting. The council directed staff to assemble a portfolio of alternative ARPA-eligible projects and to provide more complete cost and procurement documentation for discussion on Dec. 19.
