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Trappe council approves ARPA-funded equipment and security upgrades after water tampering incident
Summary
At its Sept. 4 meeting the Trappe Town Council unanimously approved using remaining ARPA funds for new computers, monitors, firewalls, three 2-inch water meters, an HVAC replacement at the treatment plant, and a $10,495.94 security camera upgrade after an incident of chlorine tampering; the council also declared the water-tower generator an emergency purchase and requested additional proposals.
The Trappe Town Council on Sept. 4 voted unanimously to allocate remaining American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to a set of equipment and infrastructure purchases intended to maintain operations and improve security.
The council approved purchases that include new town computers and monitors and two firewalls per BDK’s proposal; outfitting town trucks with requested equipment (excluding window tinting pending legal review); three new 2-inch water meters under L/B Water’s proposal; and replacement of the heating and air-conditioning unit at the wastewater treatment plant per Comfort Plus’s proposal.
Council members said a separate security measure was urgent after what the minutes describe as "a local Town’s issue with an outsider tampering with the chlorine levels in the Town’s water." Commissioner Walter Chase moved, and Commissioner Jeremy Newnam seconded, approval of Safehouse’s proposal to install and upgrade the townwide camera system at a total cost of $10,495.94; the motion passed unanimously.
Following discussion about the water system’s reliability, the council also declared the purchase of a new generator for the water tower an emergency purchase because the current generator is “inoperable without constant monitoring” and requires staff presence. The council requested additional generator proposals to be returned for review at a special meeting scheduled for Sept. 11 at 2:00 pm.
Why it matters: The purchases consolidate investments in IT, public works and public-safety infrastructure using ARPA funds, and the camera upgrade and emergency generator are tied to recent security and reliability concerns about the Town’s water system.
Votes at a glance: The meeting record shows the council made and approved the following motions (all recorded as unanimous): approval to spend ARPA funds on IT, truck equipment, water meters and HVAC (mover: Commissioner Newnam; second: Commissioner Chase); approval to accept Safehouse’s $10,495.94 camera proposal (mover: Commissioner Chase; second: Commissioner Newnam); declaration of the water-tower generator as an emergency purchase and request for additional proposals for a special meeting (mover: Commissioner Chase; second: Commissioner Newnam).
The council directed Town Administrator Erin Braband and staff to follow up with procurement steps, to obtain additional proposals for the generator, and to withhold truck window tinting until Attorney Lyndsey Ryan reviews applicable regulations. The special meeting on Sept. 11 will include generator proposal reviews.
The council adjourned at 7:05 pm.
