The town of Fayston received $397,571.63 in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds. So far, the Fayston Select Board has approved requests in the amount of $284,597.92 and an additional $40,000 in requested funds is under review, as well as an estimated $91,950 in additional town projects, some of which still need to go out to bid. A total of $171,462.21 of the approved requests have been spent to date.
Approved and completed requests include $1,499 for 90 COVID-19 rapid antigen tests, $13,500 in COVID bonus pay for town employees, $1,027.12 in COVID sick time for town employees, $9,010.32 in cyber security updates/office tech/server/computers from Butternut Systems, $10,000 for entrance/exit paving at the town’s municipal office and $100,000 for road retreatment both done by S.T. Paving, Inc., $15,926.77 for culvert work by Contech, $3,700 for tree removal at the town office and $2,450 for tree removal at Bragg Hill Cemetery, done by Whitney Tree Service.
Some $20,000 has been allocated for road signs, including $5,151.05 for 37 road signs and $401.70 for cross brackets for the road signs done by Worksafe, as well as $2,673.75 for a sign post installer. $11,773.50 remains in the budget for additional road signs. A management plan for Boyce Hill was allocated $15,000. The town has spent $5,872.50 to date for landslide mitigation. There is an additional $9,127.50 for the Boyce Hill Management Plan. There has also been an approved request for $1,000-$1,500 (exact number to be determined) from the Fayston Conservation Commission for a Boyce Hill match for a historic preservation grant.
The town has approved the Fayston Conservation Commission’s requests for $10,000 for Community Recreation Visioning Matching Funds ($5,000 over two years), $5,000 for knotweed management, $10,000 for the McCullough Barn Concrete Floor (actual amount needed) and $8,000 for Safeguarding Wildlife Crossings/Arrowwood (actual amount needed).
The town has also approved requests for $34,000 for culverts, $7,574.80 for the Waitsfield-Fayston Fire Department (which includes gear, a fan and an inverter for radios), $6,934.91 for a scanner for land records, $6,725 for zoning software, $2,500 from the planning commission for Land Use Regulation Housing Language Assistance and $250 from Mad River Valley Television for connectivity at the Harwood Unified Union School District facility to livestream events.
Additional requests under consideration include $25,000 from Neck of the Woods child care for kitchen renovation, $10,000 for an electric vehicle for Free Wheelin’ and $5,000 for the Mad River Seniors to bridge a COVID-related funding gap.
Additional town projects under consideration include propane boiler replacement, municipal building roof replacement, parking lot lighting and air filter units for the town hall, for which final costs are needed.
The total for approved, requested and additional projects in the town of Fayston is $416,547.92, leaving an ARPA fund balance of $18,976.29.
