ARPA Funds To Support Fire, EMS, Broadband Access

SNOW HILL – County officials agreed to devote more than $8.6 million in federal relief funds to expanding broadband and supporting the fire and EMS service.

The Worcester County Commissioners voted 6-1 last week to spend $1.5 million of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds on fire and EMS and to spend the remaining $7.1 million on expanding broadband access in Worcester County. Commissioner Joe Mitrecic, who voted against the motion, said he wanted to give more funding to the fire companies.

“I understand we need the broadband throughout the county, I get that,” Mitrecic said. “But I also know that if you’re having a heart attack all the internet connectivity in the world ain’t going to help you.”

Chief Administrative Officer Weston Young told the commissioners that while they’d already agreed to spend the remaining ARPA funds on broadband and fire/EMS, he was hoping they’d decide on an amount for each. Once staff had an amount, he said they could reach out to the three internet service providers actively working in the county to explore possibilities.

“I think all three would be open to a match of the funds to help them go further,” he said.

When asked if the county’s fire and EMS work group had prioritized the county’s needs, Young said group members had identified $4.6 million in needs but had not prioritized the list of projects.

“I was expecting to see a list today of their priorities and decide what we’re going to fund and what we aren’t,” Commissioner Josh Nordstrom said.

He added that deciding on a hard number could hurt the process, if the fire companies hadn’t yet decided on the most pressing needs.

“The way I understand, we’re reserving the amount for the fire departments and we’re reserving the amount for the broadband, but we still have to determine how we’re going to break that down,” Commissioner Ted Elder said.

Commissioner Diana Purnell asked if the money would be evenly split between the county’s various companies. Young said that was a possibility but wasn’t what he expected to happen.

“What they’ve explained is it’s a fragile system, there are certain parts that are near failure,” he said. “I would imagine the money would go toward those needs rather than split evenly. I don’t know what they’ll come back to us with. They have a big wish list.”

The commissioners voted 6-1, with Mitrecic opposed, to allocate $1.5 million in APRA funds to the fire  companies and the remaining $7.1 million to broadband efforts.

About The Author: Charlene Sharpe

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Charlene Sharpe has been with The Dispatch since 2014. A graduate of Stephen Decatur High School and the University of Richmond, she spent seven years with the Delmarva Media Group before joining the team at The Dispatch.