Projects aplenty for county’s $11.8M in federal money

LACONIA — Millions of dollars to fund a solar energy project at the County Complex, pave the parking lot at the Gunstock Mountain Resort, and provide bonus pay for county workers are among dozens of items under consideration to be funded with money Belknap County will be receiving under the American Rescue Plan Act.

County commissioners have put forth 39 recommended projects or uses for the $11.8 million in economic stimulus the county will receive in two installments this year and next.

A public hearing on the recommendations has been scheduled for next Thursday at 5:15 p.m. in the conference room at the County Complex off North Main Street.

The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) is a $1.9 trillion federal aid package passed by Congress in March to provide financial aid to families, governments, businesses, schools, nonprofits and others impacted by the pandemic.

Of that $1.9 trillion, $350 billion is going to state and local governments as part of the Fiscal Recovery Fund, which is where Belknap County’s $11.8 million is coming from.

A majority of the proposals involve work at county facilities that have dealt with COVID, such as the courthouse, nursing home, the Sheriff’s Department, and the County Attorney’s Office, or will defray the cost of providing government services, or make physical improvements to congregate living facilities.

But also included are funds for non-county establishments, such as the Colonial Theatre and the Belknap Mill, and the Lakeshore Redevelopment Planning Commission that is working to attract private development for the former Laconia State School complex.

“It’s an eclectic group of proposals,” County Commission Chairman Peter Spanos said. The windfall that the county will be getting from the Recovery Fund – which Spanos called a “one-time gift” – is an “opportunity to enhance infrastructure and make long-lasting improvements.”

ARPA is unique for federal funding. It is a significant pool of money and the money is relatively unrestricted. The county will have until Dec. 31, 2024, to spend the money.

In terms of dollars and cents, the largest single proposal is $3.8 million to fund stipends for the next two to three years for county workers.

Spanos believes that added compensation can help reduce attrition in the county’s workforce, especially at the nursing home and corrections facility.

“We’re hoping this will provide a short-term fix for a long-term problem,” he said.

Presently, the County Home has 25 full-time vacancies in its nursing staff, while the Corrections Department is short five correctional officers.

Other recommendations with estimated price tags of $1 million or more are:

• $2.2 million for a solar array at the County Complex.

• $1.8 million for new radio towers and other upgrades to the communications system run by the Sheriff’s Department, which provides dispatch services for several area police departments.

• $1 million for new water and sewer infrastructure to be installed as part of the planned redevelopment of the old Laconia State School complex.

• $1 million to pave the parking lot at Gunstock Mountain Resort, which is owned by the county.

The remaining proposals range from $5,000 to buy a floor-cleaning machine for the nursing home, to $448,000 to hire additional prosecutors for the County Attorney’s Office.

The county has already received half of the money from the federal government, with the remainder to be disbursed next year. However, none of the money can be spent without the authorization of the County Delegation.

“We hope (the delegation) will look upon these requests favorably,” Spanos said.

Some members of the delegation have signaled that they will oppose any expenditure which will add appreciably to the county operating budget for years down the road.

“We are not looking to grow county government,” Spanos said. “These are durable improvements that will stand the test of time.”

The $1 million proposed to pave and make improvements to the drainage system at the Gunstock parking lot is seen as an investment which will attract more business to the county-owned recreational facility, according to Brian Gallagher, the vice chair of the Gunstock Area Commission.

“It should be a revenue generator because more people will come,” he said.

The $2.2 million solar array is eligible for ARPA funds under a provision intended to encourage clean energy projects that address climate change.

The addition of two assistant county attorneys to the county prosecutor’s office is needed to deal with the backlog of criminal cases created when the courts largely shut down during the height of the COVID crisis.

“COVID has impacted our caseload,” County Attorney Andrew Livernois said.

The proposal calls for the two additional attorneys to be hired on a two-year contract, meaning whoever is hired would know upfront that the plan is to eliminate the position when the ARPA money run out.

The list also includes $395,000 for the audio-visual system at the Colonial Theatre, and $150,000 for heating and ventilation system improvements at the Belknap Mill.

A provision in ARPA allows a governmental entity to transfer funds to a private nonprofit corporation.

Spanos believes these expenditures will be a long-term benefit to the Colonial and the Belknap Mill, which are both important community assets and were impacted by the pandemic.