(9/15) Woodsboro has now received its second round of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding for a full amount of approximately $946,000, according to Burgess Heath Barnes.
The second half of the funding came as a pleasant surprise since it was originally expected to be received in early 2023, he said.
The town has already spent approximately $100,000 of its funding, with a large portion of it going toward water and sewer expenses.
In other funding discussion, reimbursement grants for Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliant (walking bridge and park stage with bandshell have been submitted, but the money detailed in the request fell short of the actual costs. The county grants department flagged the error and advised the town to resubmit the application with all the costs, including an additional $9,350 for the stage project and $1,900 for the bridge.
Previously, it was thought the project construction had to be completed by the end of July 2022 in order to receive funding, Barnes said, but now it is known that the projects only needed to be started by then.
Once the town officially submits for funding, there is only a one-time reimbursement payout, so the state grants department urged the town to seek the full amount they are entitled to.
In related business, $214,000 in funding was approved for Woodsboro in Maryland’s 2023 Community Parks and Playground program to build ADA compliant bathrooms in the upper park.
"We submitted very little compared to others," as larger municipalities received more in proportion to their size," Barnes said.
The town has recently applied for a $200,000 grant, to be distributed in the 2024 Community Parks and Playground program to completely redo the concession stand and bring bathrooms at the bottom portion of the park up to ADA standards.
Woodsboro Volunteer Fire Company floats on
Water rescue has now been upgraded as Woodsboro Volunteer Fire Company welcomes a new inflatable rescue boat thanks to ARPA funding.
In June, Woodsboro Fire received $3,500 as part of the town’s distribution of ARPA funding to local businesses and organizations. Upon finding the fire department’s rescue vessel, a 2013 Bombard Inflatable Rescue Boat (IRB), had taken on water due to age, decisions were made to utilize the funding toward a replacement.
The department’s new swift water rescue vessel (Boat 16) is a 2022 Zodiac MilPro IRB.
Along with the generous ARPA funding, the boat purchase was made possible with other fundraising events held by the membership.
The fire department expressed immense gratitude to the town and a supportive community for making the rescue craft possible.
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