Putnam County is putting together a long list of worthy projects to consider funding with the $19.1 million we expect to receive from the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, including requests from outside agencies, the women’s resource center, substance abuse and addiction services, seniors, veterans, law enforcement and infrastructure from roads and bridges to sewers, Putnam County Executive MaryEllen Odell said.
As is the case with any project, timing is everything.
“We moved a shovel-ready project – the $400,000 Putnam County Golf Course renovation plan – to the front of the line so that the work could be done in time to open the facility for the season and keep the public safe,” said Legislator Carl Albano, Chair of the Physical Services Committee. “There had been water damage and, in investigating that, we found that asbestos abatement needed to be done.”
The golf course is a gateway for tourism in Putnam County. This is a reinvestment in a proven money- and job-generating business that saw almost 50,000 guests in 2021. It will increase jobs and county revenue for years to come.
It is especially important to get this renovation done before the start of the season. With the closing of the Garrison Golf Course, Putnam County Golf Course has an opportunity to attract more golfers and more catering events.
“We are just at the beginning,” Legislator Ginny Nacerino said during the Legislature’s Feb. 1 meeting. “We want money for mental illness, for education, for housing, for infrastructure. We didn’t get there yet. This just came because time was of the essence.”
The county was notified of its ARPA allocation late last year and held preliminary internal discussions. In the tradition of not counting our chickens before they hatch, we decided to wait for the release of the U.S. Treasury’s final rule before formalizing our plan for spending of these funds.
That final rule was released in January and county department heads had until Jan. 31 to submit project ideas. I also canvassed town and village governments for project ideas, and gave them a Feb. 28 deadline. The final rule goes into effect April 1.
“Our auditors are an outside agency,” Legislator Chairman Neal Sullivan said. “We will have an independent review by an outside agency to make sure that where we spend the money meets the guidelines of the ARPA grant.”
When the rule is finalized, I have no doubt we will have a healthy list of diverse projects to pursue from one end of the county to the other, County Executive Odell said.