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Trappe council outlines options for remaining ARPA funds and approves council-room AC replacement
Summary
The Town of Trappe Council on July 17 directed staff to gather pricing and feasibility for several uses of remaining ARPA funds and approved replacing the council meeting-room air-conditioning unit, funding the purchase from ARPA. The council also held an executive session on a personnel matter.
The Town of Trappe Council met July 17 for a workshop and subsequent special meeting to review options for the town's remaining American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds and to address an equipment failure in the council meeting room. President Schmidt called the workshop to order at 2:00 p.m., with Council members Jeremy Newnam, Michael Sullivan, Rose Potter and Walter Chase present; Town Administrator Erin Braband and Town Attorney Lyndsey Ryan attended for staff.
Council members reviewed the ARPA timeline and directed staff to collect pricing and additional information on several candidate projects. The council noted that ARPA funds must be allocated by December 31, 2024, and expended by December 31, 2026. The items the council asked staff to pursue were: purchase of two new vehicles for Public Works and Water/Wastewater; full sewer-main inspection by camera with a findings report; issuance of a request for proposals to replace all town water meters and add radio-read components (excluding Lakeside, which already has radio-read meters); use of the Davis, Bowen and Friedel water-line inventory to identify water mains that should be replaced and pave affected roads; a review of Phase 2 of the pumping-station project to identify components that could be completed with ARPA funding; and pricing for a backhoe.
During the special meeting, Administrator Erin Braband reported the council meeting-room air-conditioning unit failed on July 15 and presented three replacement quotes: Comfort Plus to replace the existing unit like-for-like for $7,619.46; Comfort Plus for a mini-split system that would provide heating and cooling for $8,719.41; and Conner for a unit slightly larger than the current unit at $9,446.00. After discussion, Council member Rose Potter moved to approve the Comfort Plus quote and to use ARPA funds for the expense; Council member Walter Chase seconded and the motion was unanimously approved. The motion text recorded in the minutes lists the approved amount as $7,169.46; the record therefore contains an inconsistency between the Comfort Plus quote presented ($7,619.46) and the dollar amount in the motion ($7,169.46). This discrepancy is noted in the clarifying details below.
Other procedural actions recorded in the minutes: at 3:11 p.m. Council member Rose Potter moved to close the workshop and open the special meeting (seconded by Jeremy Newnam), which was approved unanimously. Later, at 3:21 p.m., Council member Jeremy Newnam moved that the special meeting close and the council enter executive session to discuss a personnel matter (seconded by Michael Sullivan); that motion carried. The special meeting was reopened at 3:45 p.m. (motion by Rose Potter, seconded by Jeremy Newnam), and the council adjourned at 3:46 p.m. (motion by Walter Chase, seconded by Rose Potter).
The council’s requests for pricing and the approved AC replacement are administrative actions that set staff follow-up tasks rather than final capital projects. Next steps are for staff to return with bids, cost breakdowns and recommended phasing for any ARPA-funded projects to be considered for formal allocation before the December 31, 2024 allocation deadline.
The minutes were respectfully submitted by Town Administrator Erin Braband.
