Westport will use most of the $837,000 in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds it has received this year to support the Board of Health, as well as a plan to design sewer system improvements in the north part of town.

The funds were given by the federal government to help fund improvements or respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, and another $837,000 is expected this time next year. Additional state funds are due to be released by Bristol County, but were not included in the week's discussion as town officials don't yet know how much Westport will receive.

For the local ARPA funds already in hand, select board members asked town department heads to suggest ways to spend the money, and ended up getting more than $3 million worth of requests.

"Kind of the downside is that we have about $1.6 million (in ARPA funds either in hand or due next year), but we have $3 million in requests," said chairwoman Shana Shufelt.

Amidst requests for new licensing software that could help residents more easily apply for permits and other town services, improving broadband infrastructure and providing more support for the Council on Aging, Select Board members favored the Board of Health and the Planning Board, which sought $650,000 to draw up design plans for sewerage.

Board of Health

Board of Health Director Matthew Armendo said his request for $105,000 will help the town as it continues to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Specifically, he asked for $90,000 to cover future vaccinations and clinics, booster clinics, supplies and equipment, a medical grade freezer to aid in the safe storage of vaccine, the enforcement of public health laws, additional PPEs (personal protective equipment), overtime, mileage and other personnel-related expenses.

In addition, he said the board hopes to hire additional nursing staff, and also personnel to work as data entry clerks, contact tracers and the like.

"We want to be able to get out there and mobilize," he said.

To that end, he sought another $15,000 to purchase a 6x12' mobile trailer. When workers head out to conduct clinics and do other work around town, he said it can be cumbersome to load everything into the back of pickup trucks. Having a dedicated trailer will make the process much more streamlined, he said.

"It will essentially be just like a mobile clinic," Mr. Armendo said, adding this Monday that "we're starting to gear up for what looks like is going to be a pretty active fall for COVID."

Sewer design work

Robert Daylor, who represented the planning board, said a good use of some of the funds would be to help the town complete the design/first phase of an interconnection with the Fall River sewer system, where the Fall River line and Route 88 meet. Setting aside $650,000 would give the town a leg up as it awaits word on how much Bristol County will earmark to Westport in the coming months.

"If we use those moneys to create a design, we could have it (ready) in six months. We would be able to put that out to bid. The whole strategy for the town is, we know that the state has $5.3 billion in ARPA relief funds. We know that the county will be distributing the moneys. And it looks like there will be resolution on an infrastructure bill from Congress."

Spending ARPA funds on design and planning work now will position the town to "have shovel ready contract documents, to pursue those other moneys."

"Certainly by this time next year," he said, Westport could have "a number of contract sets ready to pursue."

Other projects requested

Requests from other departments included:

* Outgoing town administrator Tim King sought $50,000 on behalf of the select board to purchase new licensing and permitting software. He said a better system would be a boon for residents and would improve town services.

"Our permitting, whether it's for beach passes or building permits or licenses, either from the board of selectmen or other departments, is very cumbersome and not particularly helpful for the residents," he said. "If we could find software ... so the people could go online and be able to apply for licenses and upload all the documents they need, it would make it much easier."

* Beverly Bisch, director of Senior Services for the Council on Aging, sought $111,300, telling the board that the money would be used for a host of reasons.

First, she asked for $34,000 to supplement $85,000 already approved to replace the senior center roof. With the cost of lumber skyrocketing this year, she said, "I'm not expecting that anybody's going to be able to bid (under $85,000) at this point."

She also sought additional $77,300 to augment the town's supportive day respite services and supportive day staffing.

"This is going to be a rebuilding of the supportive day program; it's a service that's absolutely going to be more critical in this town as our population ages. I want to continue a good substantive program."

* Keith Novo, Westport's Information Technology (IT) director, asked for $1.65 million to greatly expand fiber optic coverage in town.

Westport received approval at the last town meeting to run fiber optic cable to all town buildings. His plan for ARPA funds would extend the network to all of the town's various neighborhoods, though it would not provide individual connections.

However, putting the infrastructure in place, he said, would "break down the barrier of competition" that exists in towns that don't have widespread fiber optic routing. The lack of infrastructure "usually prevents providers from coming in" and offering broadband service.