Georgia’s Floyd County commissioners are planning to allocate a large portion of its American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to utility upgrades, a report said.
The projects will focus on infrastructure, water, and broadband initiatives.
County Manager Jamie McCord worked with department heads and county officials to compile a list of possible projects. He and the county commissioners reviewed the list as well as the estimated costs during Tuesday night’s meeting.
Water-related projects include plans to change PVC water lines that run along Ga. 53 and U.S. 27. Some basic improvements to the water system’s pumps, pump houses, and backup generators in the rural areas of the county were also planned.
They also set aside $1.1 million to fund an upgrade to the water system close to Chulio Road.
McCord and staff are also planning to make improvements in each park. Improvements include replacement of bleachers, bathroom renovations, adding RV campsites at Armuchee Park, new picnic shelters at North Floyd Park, and small dog parks.
The sum of all the planned recreation projects is $3.7 million. This includes some funds leftover from special purpose local option sales tax collections for park improvements.
Broadband expansion was also planned. Many residents living in the more rural areas of the county have no access to the internet.
McCord was working with an internet service provider who has requested that the costs be shared between the company, the county, and the state ARPA grants. Georgia received $2.6 billion to be distributed to municipalities and counties.
The county will allocate $13 million from their $19 million ARPA funds to pay for the projects, including facilities and cybersecurity initiatives.
The projects will be spread over two to three years up to the 2024 deadline.
Before approving any projects, the county will determine whether there are any state grants that could match the current funds.
I think it’s awesome to see Floyd County putting those ARPA funds to good use by upgrading utilities and parks. It shows they’re serious about improving our community’s infrastructure and making life better for us all. It’s great to see our tax dollars going towards something so beneficial!