Since the Town of Wake Forest received $14.54 million from the federal American Rescue Plan Act in 2021, it has worked as swiftly as possible to spend every penny on vital projects in four categories — Broadband ($3.13 million), Public Health/Economic Impact ($3.19 million), Public Safety ($1.9 million), and Stormwater ($6.33 million) because all the money most be obligated (under contract) by the end of this year and spent by the end of 2026.
The $1.9 million for public safety has been spent or obligated on a new ladder fire engine, fire SCBA equipment and new police department patrol vehicles. Only $579,855 has really been spent and the town has to hope the new ladder truck can be delivered in 2026.
Chief Financial Officer/Assistant Town Manager Aileen Staples said the ARPA funds are with the NC Capital Management Trust, currently earning 5.25 percent in interest. Currently there is about $11 million in that trust company, and the interest earned to date is $610,639.
The broadband share of the money has paid for Smart City, fiber cables to fire stations, and upgrades at the police department communications center. The only project not completed is the Wireless Research Center’s outpost at the DuBois Center.
In public health and economic impact, the ARPA funds will pay for the Holding Park Inclusive Playground that is nearing completion, transit expansion, Northeast neighborhood improvements and food security. It has been used for vaccine incentives, a COVID 19 coordinator and project manager and compliance manager.
Controlling stormwater had the largest share of the money, and to date has not completed any of the projects, which include upgrades and changes to Miller Park, dam restoration at Flaherty Park, stream restoration and studies for the watersheds in town, pipe upgrades and the North Main improvements by the City of Raleigh.
Staples was confident the town would be in compliance for all the deadlines.
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2 Responses
Wait! What? The biggest chunk of cash was to be spent on the storm water that at times threatens to wash away some neighborhoods.
Could it be that massive runoff was not a problem until developers got their plans approved?
An iconic movie quote is “Show Me The Money!”
Some ‘vintage’ communities are exclaiming “Spend Some Damn Money!”
And it must be stated…
The town has a bunch of cash available to renovate the leaky windows in the town hall building and build more space for those freeloading art people who pull the strings at the “Redistribution of Wealth Centre ”. Because it didn’t need to allocate the funds to buy the things the Feds bought with the Recovery cash.
Chew on that one!
Is it a requirement that these contracts have been awarded to E-Verify contractors? And sub-contractors? And sub-sub-contractors? And sub-sub-sub-…….?
Gosh! I hope none of the “Get the Government Out of My Life” constituency takes advantage
of any of the improved infrastructure. Cause they would know every time they did make access of the new bypass or had their insurance go down because a new fire station got built, or a flood plain had work done to protect their house that was allowed to be built in a floodplain because of developer lobbyists, ….they would hear Obama say,” You didn’t build that!”