"Why lookee here..." (how the City of Chetek plans to use the first installment of our ARPA funds)

 

On March 11, 2021, President Joe Biden signed into law the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) intended to put a shot into the arm of the economy and bring relief to communities affected by COVID-19. Whether or not Congress should have passed this piece of legislation is a matter of strong opinions on either side of the political spectrum. But the reality is the City of Chetek has had a windfall of approximately $218,000 half of which we have already received and half we can expect next year.

The rules that govern the use of these funds is nearly 50 pages long with a lot of fine print (and absolutely no pictures!) While you can't use these funds to reduce taxes or satisfy long-standing debts, it does give each municipality a measure of flexibility on addressing what they think the funds should be allocated for.

As far as the City goes, at February's meeting after a lot of discussion the council unanimously approved the following items to use 2022's ARPA's funds (which is approximately $109K):

• new siding/ceilings in the pavilions at both Philips and Airport Park

• a sound system in the council room to assist in livestreaming our monthly council meetings

• an ADA path at the beach leading to the bathrooms from Lakeview Drive

• a new roof at the community center

• enclosure for the porta potty at Main Street Park

• a new roof for the Main Street pavilion

She needs a new roof!

Estimates are still being solicited and as in all things “the devil will be in the details” (which is to say before we submit any work order all the funds necessary for that project will need to be allocated).

Some may wonder why not set some of the windfall aside for the new $22 million wastewater treatment plant or the new $2.3 million water tower or for the development on Knapp Street? The answer is simple: while a $100,000 would be a substantial windfall to any one of us for a municipal project it is a proverbial drop in the bucket. Besides, the price tag for the wastewater treatment plant has already been reduced by $10 million on account of the recent USDA Rural Development grant we received. The water tower may be paid in part by monies that the TID (Tax Increment District) in which it stands will generate. And we're still working out the details with S.C. Swiderski regarding “Area 51”.

The reality is Chetek is a “parks poor” community. We rarely have anything extra on hand other than funds for upkeep and maintenance for the parks we have. So when a $109 thousand windfall drops in our lap it seems the best thing to do is to get on it and put it to good use in projects that can be done in a season. I'll be sure to keep you posted.

Speaking of the new wastewater treatment plant, Senator Tammy Baldwin will be in town THIS Monday morning, February 21 to take a short walking tour of our old WWTP and get a virtual tour of the one currently being designed by cbs². It's not every day the Mayor of Chetek gets to play host for a U.S. Senator.