LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The Lakeport City Council has approved a plan for how to spend more than $1.1 million in federal funds the city has received from the American Rescue Plan Act.
Nick Walker, Lakeport’s finance director and assistant city manager, presented the proposal for the State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds, or SLFRF, to the council at its Tuesday night meeting.
Walker’s written report to the council explained that based on census data, the city has been allocated approximately $1,197,542. The city received the first half of that funding in July, with the second half to come within 12 months.
Staff and the council had discussed options in October before the federal rules for the funding were finalized. In January, the Department of the Treasury finalized the SLFRF rules, Walker reported.
Based on those rules, Walker reported that in February county staff determined that three projects were of the highest priority for consideration: roadwork on South Main Street from First Street to Lakeport Boulevard, with the engineer’s estimate of approximately $1,735,642.50; renovations to the Silveira Community Center, including restroom and HVAC upgrades, signage and paint, estimated to cost $1.3 million; and water and sewer projects pulled from the current rate study, including the South Main Street and Soda Bay Road loop line, at a cost of $2.2 million.
“Staff has analyzed these projects pretty thoroughly,” said Walker.
He said staff had concluded that the project on South Main Street would be of the highest priority.
Walker’s written report outlined the South Main Street project, which would include a complete roadway rehabilitation, installation of a retaining wall to stabilize the hillside south of Lupoyoma Circle, Americans with Disabilities Act compliant sidewalk and crossing upgrades, and enhanced pavement markings.
Because there is a roughly $600,000 difference between the available SLFRF awarded to the city and the price tag, Walker said federal road funding reserves and the city’s allocation of state SB1 road revenues would be used to supplement SLFRF funding to cover the entire cost of the project.
City Manager Kevin Ingram said deferred maintenance issues are, by far, the No. 1 challenge.
“We took a hard look at these projects,” Ingram said, and staff concluded that the community center improvements and loop lines projects had better access to other funding sources that generally aren’t available for road improvement projects.
Councilman Kenny Parlet said roads and public safety are things people always want. “The loop line is going to happen eventually.”
Councilman Michael Green said he had hoped the Silveira Center would be open and operable by this summer.
“It’s our goal to get the doors open on that sooner rather than later,” said Ingram, adding that not using the SLFRF money won’t prohibit that from happening.
Mayor Pro Tem Mireya Turner moved to include the South Main Street project in the SLFRF spending plan and include the cost in the 2022-23 city budget, which the council approved 5-0.
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Lakeport City Council approves spending plan for COVID-19 funds
- Elizabeth Larson
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