It does not have to happen immediately, but the City of Bridgeport has to begin the process of what to do with nearly $4 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) dollars from the federal government. On Monday, Bridgeport City Council heard where the administration and staff of the city believes it should be spent during a work session prior to the regular meeting.

 

“We have two particular projects we’re looking at,” said City Manager Brian Newton. “… We want you to hear what staff has to say regarding these dollars before we go down any rabbit holes for other projects.”

 

What that means is that the two projects discussed, one of which was in depth, are not necessarily where the funds will be spent. However, the two projects discussed are “what the ARPA funds were intended for,” Newton said. The dollars, provided by the federal government, have to be spent in certain areas.

 

City Finance Director Sharon Hinkle said the actual amount is slightly more than $3.9 million. Projects have to begin by Dec. 31, 2024, and the money has to be spent by Dec. 31, 2026, in certain areas, of which the two projects mentioned fall under.

 

The first project involves replacing a massive section of Asbestos Cement Pipe (ACP) from one of the main water tanks in the city at a cost of approximately $1.5 million, while the other involves funding for either a new, renovated or expanded police department. On Monday, the talk focused on the water line project.

 

City Engineer Beth Fox went into great detail about the project in question. The project involves ACP pipe that goes from the Kovach Water Tank, which is located by the Wonder Bar on old Bridgeport Hill, and then crosses down the hill, goes across the southbound exit ramp of U.S. Route 50, under Interstate 79 and comes up to an area near Taco Bell. The Kovach taken receives water from the Clarksburg Water Board, which is utilized by the City of Bridgeport.

 

“We would put a 12-inch water line across there,” said Fox, noting the new line would be PVC.

 

The project would require major boring work to go under the interstate. The casing used to facilitate the new line would be 24 inches.

 

Currently, the line is not a problem. However, Fox said it has been in place since the late 1960s or early 1970s. Letting it go is a game of risk and failure, she said, will come with consequences.

 

“We don’t want to get into a situation where we’ve got a line broken across the interstate which would take us out of service for quite a while and could be disastrous,” said Fox. “… When it comes to a line like this and the size of a line like this, it is best to be proactive.”

 

Fox and the Bridgeport Utility Board (BUB) had hoped the line would be replaced as part of an announced WVDOH project to redo the I-79, Route 50 interchange at the state’s cost or with assistance from the state. She said that is no longer possible as the project is not happening.

 

If the project is determined to be one utilized with ARPA funds, Fox said the work could be done by the fall of 2023. She said that was a conservative estimate. Fox also said BUB had funds it could utilize to assist with some of the costs, but it was subject to that board's approval.

 

The other project involving the police department will be discussed in a work session at the June 27 meeting. Newton, who hopes to get public input during the meeting, said options regarding the city addressing concerns with space for the police department will be discussed.

 

Although he did not go into detail, Newton said there are two primary options with several variations under those options. He said the options, barring doing nothing, will almost all likely exceed the $2.4 million available from ARPA if the water line project is done.

 

The options for the police department include renovating and expanding existing space at the Bridgeport Municipal Complex as well as building at a new location. If building at a new location is chosen, the former space would also need to be converted into usable space for the city.

 

While Fox did not talk about the police department, she dominated discussion during the regular session as well. She led the annual department report for the engineering department to Council. She was joined by Superintendent of Public Utilities Jared Cummons, Public Works Director Tiny Grimes, and Jacob Griffith, Associate Engineer.

 

Fox spoke for more than 20 minutes on ongoing and future projects, as well as those completed in 2021. Her report was thorough enough it drew no questions from Council, but multiple comments of praise.

 

In other business, City Council:

Editor's Note: Top photo shows City Manager Brian Newton, while the second photo shows Beth Fox pointing out the area where a proposed $1.5 million water project would take place. In the bottom photo, from left, is Jared Cummons, Tiny Grims, Jacob Griffith, and Fox.