County could disperse rescue act funds
By Terry Murry on Monday, November 15th, 2021 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
WALLA WALLA – The Walla Walla County Board of Commissioners meets today (Monday) at 10 a.m. and will consider using $72,400 in American Rescue Plan Act funds for requests made by the cities of Waitsburg and Prescott, plus the county Department of Community Health.
The city of Waitsburg requested $30,000 for a project that would produce geographic information system mapping that would include water, waste and storm water system lines, hydrants, manholes and storm drains that could easily be modified as they systems are repaired or expanded over time. This will allow public works to better identify utility lines, hydrants, and other related facility items remotely without the need of paper maps, plus help the city pinpoint service lines for use in future development areas of the city.
The city of Prescott requested $11,000 related to a water projection project to install a surge protector device on the equipment at the city well to prevent electrical surges that can lead to pump failure. It will also provide a cell-phone-based alert system for city officials when water levels are low.
The requests from both cities fall under the qualification of infrastructure projects for expending the ARPA funds, according to Diane Harris, clerk of the board of commissioners.
The Walla Walla County Department of Community Health submitted a request for a one-time-only premium payment of $31,400 for certain health department employees that have been responding to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We appreciate the dedication and extra hours that these employees have worked in response to the pandemic,” the commissioners wrote in the proposal summary prepared for today’s meeting. Commissioners have resumed in person public meetings and will continue to host the meetings via WebEx. The access code is 146 784 0290.
