The Board of County Commissioners of Clark County authorized the ARPA spending at its Wednesday meeting.
The money is part of the $26 million allocated to Clark County from the $1.9 trillion ARPA that President Joe Biden signed into law in March. A total of $350 billion was allocated to help local governments across the country reeling from pandemic impact.
Kershner, said that his company will be submitting a grant application to the state's Residential Broadband Grant Program before the Nov. 8 deadline, aiming to receive $2.1 million to close the "funding gap" left after the county provides the $3 million in ARPA funding.
Phase 2 of the broadband infrastructure project is expected to bring reliable internet access to underserved areas of Clark County, impacting 1,165 homes. A timeline for phase 2 has not yet been established, as the project's second phase will be impacted by state funding.
The commissioners have authorized more than $6 million in ARPA spending. That money is being used for the reimbursement to the general fund for pandemic-related losses in revenue, the reimbursement of employee paid administrative leave resulting from anytime between March 3 and June 2, the funding of technology for the county's dispatch center, expected to open in 2022.
Commissioners also approved ARPA spending for a stormwater improvement project for Enon-Xenia Road to help alleviate flooding in the area and for a fiber optic project to service county-owned buildings.
By the Numbers:
- 2: The next phase of the broadband infrastructure project
- 3: The amount in millions of American Rescue Plan Act funding the project will receive
- 1,165: The number of homes expected to be serviced in the project's second phase
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