This month, Cowlitz County and its cities received millions of dollars in federal pandemic recovery money, which most jurisdictions have begun spending on a variety of projects.
In total, the county, Longview, Kelso, Woodland, Kalama and Castle Rock received about $36.3 million in American Rescue Plan Act money, with the first half arriving in mid-2021.
Cowlitz County has so far allocated more than half of its $21.48 million, spending or setting aside about $12.8 million, said Traci Jackson, finance manager. Along with pandemic-related costs, the county commissioners plan to use the money for projects with a longterm benefit to the community.
“I don’t know if we can use ARPA money to square things up. The lockdown did a lot of damage to our economy, to our people,” Commissioner Arne Mortensen told The Daily News. “But maybe we can use that money to improve the opportunity for the county to do something useful.”
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Counties and cities can use the money to support public health expenditures, address negative economic effects from the pandemic, replace lost public-sector revenue, provide premium pay for essential workers, and invest in water, sewer and broadband infrastructure, according to the Municipal Research Services Center of Washington. The money can cover qualifying costs through 2024, and must be spent by the end of 2026.
Longview received a total of $8.1 million, Kelso $3.47 million, Woodland $1.8 million, Kalama $781,820, Castle Rock $642,110 and Rainier $446,450.
Infrastructure upgrades
Over the past year, the commissioners have heard proposals from cities, fire districts, county departments and other local agencies requesting funding.
“A lot of people have voiced concerns about the feds spending money they don’t have,” Commissioner John Jabusch said. “But for the county, the ARPA money has been a lifesaver for us. It’s given us funds to help out some of the cities with projects.”
The largest amount set aside so far was $6.3 million for county public works to repair or upgrade the county’s water and sewer systems. The upgrades total more than $16 million and include improvements to the Toutle, Ryderwood, Camelot, Woodbrook and Shadow Mountain systems, Jackson said. The commissioners support the improvements but hope to use other available funding before using the ARPA allocation for these projects, she said.
The board also approved granting $200,000 to the Carrolls Water Association for a new well to improve the drinking water system. The association serves residents in the Carrolls area south of Kelso.
Earlier this year, the commissioners allocated $2.6 million to Woodland for exit 21, the largest amount to a single project so far.
“We greatly appreciate their help on getting started on this regional intersection that desperately needs help,” said Pete Boyce, Woodland city administrator.
The interchange at the south end of town handles traffic entering and exiting Interstate 5 at state Route 503, which is heavily congested, especially during the weekday rush hour. The most recent cost estimate for the new traffic light design was at least $13 to $15 million. Woodland has received other state and federal funding, as well as money from the Cowlitz Wahkiakum Council of Governments for the project.
The city is in the process of going out to bid for engineering of the new traffic signal design approved by the City Council, Boyce said.
Mortensen said the project meets his goal of looking at a “greater picture” rather than helping specific groups.
Parks projects
The commissioners have considered spending American Rescue Plan Act money on a variety of parks and recreation projects to ensure a long-lasting benefit.
“Some projects we’ve identified are designed to be enjoyed by future generations because all these money is borrowed federal dollars, future generations will be paying for it,” Commissioner Dennis Weber said. “We feel strongly that we don’t spend it all up on stuff that disappears. That’s only fair for younger generations.”
The commissioners allocated $1 million to help match grants for the Kelso area’s Riverside Park improvements, including plans for an all-inclusive playground with sensory stimulating stations and accessible paths.
The board also set aside about $47,000 for other park projects, including upgrading the Coweeman River Park in Rose Valley. The undeveloped site is the only county-owned access to the river, Jabsuch said. Upgrades will include adding a restroom, garbage bin, picnic tables and expanding the parking area, he said.
Weber said staff are pursuing grants for the parks and other projects, using ARPA money as matching funds to “maximize this one time opportunity to do some improvements.”
Fire districts and county departments
The commissioners approved a joint request from the fire districts for $600,000 to split with Cowlitz fire districts 1, 3, 5 and 6 receiving $100,000 and Cowlitz 2 Fire & Rescue getting $200,000.
Cowlitz 2 received an additional $50,000 total for laptops and setup costs for remote work, supplies to meet COVID-19 requirements and video conferencing equipment.
Cowlitz Fire District 6, which serves the Castle Rock area, received $52,650 for powered stretchers to help load patients without heavy lifting.
The commissioners granted Castle Rock Senior Center $5,150 to help pay for costs when the center was closed because of COVID-19. During the closure, the center couldn’t hold fundraisers typically used to pay its bills, according to a letter from the center to the commissioners.
Other allocations and spending on county departments include personal protective equipment, front-counter remodels to minimize exposure, clerk staff to help digitize and scan documents, laptops to allow District Court staff to work remotely, and IT upgrades.
While the commissioners received some requests for bonus pay for essential workers, an eligible use, they’ve turned those down because building salaries on “one-time only money” is difficult to continue, Weber said.
The county has about $8.7 million in ARPA funds unallocated. The commissioners said they are open to hearing more requests and proposals from the public and local agencies, and will likely further discuss county projects that could be eligible.
“We have some work yet to do,” Jabusch said. “And we have the money in the bank.”
