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WEIRTON -- Weirton Council will be asked next week to consider using the unallocated balance of the city's American Rescue Plan funding on two projects to benefit the city's recreation systems.
Two resolutions are up for debate - the first to allocate $1,720,000 for Phase 3 of the Millsop Community Center south wall project, using a mixture of ARPA funds and the city's general fund, and the second to allocate $1 million for the replacement of the vessel at Starvaggi Memorial Pool.
The proposals were part of Wednesday's agenda of the Weirton Finance Committee, each receiving recommendations, and will go before council at its meeting Monday evening.
"This is what we talked about in the workshop," Finance Committee Chair Fred Marsh noted Wednesday, referencing a council workshop with members of the Weirton Board of Parks and Recreation on Nov. 16.
The Park Board has been working to repair and restore the foundation and exterior of the community center's south wall through a phased approach which began in 2021. The third phase, which would address interior damage as a result of the foundation issues and install a new HVAC system designed to reduce the amount of moisture in the area, received a bid for $1.5 million.
The resolution for the community center project is being sponsored by Councilmembers George Ash, Flora Perrone and Enzo Fracasso.
The resolution pertaining to Starvaggi Pool is being sponsored by Marsh and Ward 7 Councilman Terry Weigel. Marsh previously sponsored a similar resolution, requesting $1 million for replacement of the pool vessel in November 2021. That resolution was voted down.
Passed by Congress in 2021, the American Rescue Plan Act provided states, counties and cities with funds as part of a stimulus effort to aid in recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic. Weirton received approximately $10 million through the program.
If the proposed resolutions are passed by council Monday, those funds will have either been spent or allocated.
"These two resolutions essentially wipe that out," Marsh said.
Finance Director Diana Smoljanovich confirmed all of the funds awarded to Weirton through the federal COVID program will have been allocated with the passage of the two resolutions. She said there is $4 million council previously set aside to assist with the planned wastewater treatment plant expansion remaining unspent.