Simsbury ARPA Funds: Residents Pitch Sewer Work, HVAC Upgrades

SIMSBURY, CT — At a meeting last week, Simsbury residents debated usage of their town's American Rescue Plan Act funding — and they proposed improvements to sewers, HVAC systems and bridges, the Hartford Courant reported.

Most of the pitches at the Jan. 24 Simsbury Board of Selectmen meeting centered around replacements and improvements. Resident Elizabeth Burt said she'd like funding to replace the 50-year-old sewers in Woods Lane, and several people concurred, the Courant reported.

Others said they'd like to see improvements to the town's HVAC systems — such as in the Town Hall, other town offices and schools, according to the Courant.

But town officials also heard pitches that don't relate to infrastructure improvements. One resident proposed ecological studies, and the Simsbury Fire District president asked for around 3 percent of funding for his department, the Courant said.

Simsbury is expected to receive a total of $7.5 million through the U.S. Department of Treasury's program, and that money has to be used to "respond to the COVID-19 public health emergency," the town said last summer.

"Consideration must be given to the following: (1) Identifying a need or negative impact of the COVID health emergency and (2) Identifying how the program, service or other intervention addresses the identified need or impact," town officials wrote in a press release.

Read more about the meeting here.