Jamestown Planning Commission Chair Greg Rabb says the American Rescue Plan recovery funds being received by the city should go toward capital improvements.
While Mayor Eddie Sundquist has held four public input sessions for public comment on the draft master plan, Rabb said the plan had not and should have also been sent to the Planning Commission for review.
He said the Planning Commission had once reviewed capital project items in past years and the best use of the ARP money would be to address capital budget needs, “We have so much need here – streets, sidewalks, water lines, electric reliability which we’re very good but we need to make it better. So, I think, and I still do, that this would be an excellent way to put us in a situation where we could grow. I call it a golden opportunity to spend some gold on the right stuff.”
Rabb said that proper capital spending has a direct effect on the operation and maintenance budget, “Proper capital spending is absolutely linked to land use planning. You can’t approve a site plan if you don’t have sewers and water and electric. So, you know, you can approve a site plan on a vacant lot but if people can’t do anything with it because there’s no services, so I explain there’s definitely a direct connection.”
In addition to suggesting that funds could be spent on DPW and Parks vehicle upgrades, and sewer and electric upgrades, Rabb specifically mentioned that one of the projects that should be funded is a Central Fire Station, “To get it out of City Hall because it’s an impossible location for a fire station in terms of response and just getting back in there. And then doing something about that decrepit Fairmount Station that I think was built in the 1880s, which is insane. So, we need a brand new central fire station outside of the downtown area and I think that could cost as much as $8 million.”
Rabb said while there is interest in waiting to see what the city will get for funding in the Federal Infrastructure Bill, he said that money could come with restrictions while the American Rescue Plan funds seem to have more leeway.
Rabb added the Planning Commission can only make a recommendation to City Council on what they should approve in spending of the ARP funds. Council is expected to hear a full report in September on the public input for how the City should spend the funding.
Leave a Reply