City Councilors to spend $2M of COVID-19 money on downtown lighting

Lynn Walker, Wichita Falls Times Record News
Updated ·2 min read

On Tuesday, Wichita Falls City Council members will consider allocating $2 million of the city’s COVID-19 relief money for lighting in the downtown area.

No caption
No caption

The city got $29 million from the federal government’s American Rescue Plan Act to replace revenue lost and alleviate negative economic impact incurred during the pandemic.

The money dedicated to downtown will be used for downtown lighting, to install phone charging stations, to improve WiFi service and support art initiatives.

The city staff said the plan would reduce the amount of automobile traffic downtown, attract businesses to the area, improve walkability to grocery stores, pharmacies, public transportation, child care, and medical assistance located downtown, support more residential development there and expand downtown cultural events and festivals.

Councilors will also consider allocating another $90,790 of ARPA money for the renovation of two restrooms in the Health District building. City staff said the restrooms are not ADA compliant and are frequently out of order. The extra allocation would bring the total amount for the renovation to $264,590.

The city council adopted a general plan in June 2022 for spending the city’s ARPA money, which included funding for downtown and the Health District.

Councilors will also consider spending $127,600 for renovation of the Health District’s reception area, but this money will come from an excess fund balance rather than from ARPA.

Also at Tuesday’s meeting, Councilors will be asked to appoint a new fire chief to replace Ken Prillaman, who retired in March. The city got four applicants for the post and City Manager Darron Leiker chose a finalist whose name will be given to councilors prior to Tuesday’s meeting.

In other business, councilors will:

  • Consider awarding $1,848,299 to Freeman Paving, LLC for the 2023 Concrete Street Rehabilitation Project, which includes work and bus stops.

  • Consider applying for a grant of $13,700 from the Patrick Leahy Bulletproof Vest Partnership.

  • Consider an agreement for creation and maintenance of eligibility lists for lateral positions in the Police Department and to waive the age requirements for the lateral position.

This article originally appeared on Wichita Falls Times Record News: City Councilors to spend $2M of COVID-19 money on downtown lighting