Saline County takes advantage of new federal provision, redirects ARPA money to roads

Kendrick Calfee, Salina Journal
·3 min read

Saline County canceled two projects that failed to get off the ground and reallocated American Rescue Plan Act funds to go toward road projects Tuesday.

Following a new federal provision which provides counties with additional options for investing coronavirus relief dollars, the county elected to create a new category to help fund a couple small road improvement projects.

The U.S. Department of Treasury, through an interim final rule approved in August, now allows ARPA funds to be used for three new areas: transportation and infrastructure, disaster relief and community development.

Federal provisions had previously not allowed the funds to be used toward road projects. Saline County has shifted its list of project priorities, given this new rule.

"If we had known back in 2021 that roads were going to be in the mix and we had three full years to develop them, I think we would have prioritized the money very differently," said County Administrator Phillip Smith-Hanes.

Saline County Commission Chair Bob Vidricksen reads a proposal during the Sept. 12 County Commission meeting.
Saline County Commission Chair Bob Vidricksen reads a proposal during the Sept. 12 County Commission meeting.

Which projects were canceled and how much ARPA money will go toward the roads?

According to the County, two potential activities have been on the books for quite some time with no clear path forward.

The first of which was a health equity project envisioned to be a partnership between Saline County's Health Department and community partners to address some disparities in health outcomes that were brought to light during the COVID-19 pandemic. But there was not a large enough local interest from community partners to make it happen.

The second project was a Senior Health Insurance Counseling project with the Area Agency on Aging providing funds for their existing program to help seniors determine Medicare options. The Area Agency has not filled out the required paperwork or made a request to go forward with the project.

Canceling the two projects would free up $80,000 to go toward other efforts. After a brief discussion, the Commission voted unanimously to cancel the Health Equity and SHICK Counseling projects, move $5,000 to small expenses in Administrative Costs, and create a new category of Surface Transportation projects.

A total of $75,000 will go toward one or a combination of the following road projects:

  • Riordan & Holmes Intersection: Safety improvements to provide better sight distance

  • Stimmel & Old 40 Intersection: Realign Stimmel to improve sight distance

  • Simpson Road between Campbell & Schippel: Bridge replacement and improvements to channel that parallels Simpson

Archie Riggs, a Salina representative for the North Central Flint Hills Area Agency on Aging, read a proclamation for Seniors Week at the Sept. 12 County Commission meeting
Archie Riggs, a Salina representative for the North Central Flint Hills Area Agency on Aging, read a proclamation for Seniors Week at the Sept. 12 County Commission meeting

Senior week is Sept. 18-23

Members of the North Central Flint Hills Area Agency on Aging attended the meeting Sept. 12 to speak on events coming up for senior week, a week dedicated to honoring and recognizing senior citizens in the area.

Archie Riggs, the Salina representative for the group, read a proclamation signed by the Saline County Commission declaring Sept. 18-23 as senior week.

The group is hosting a Sunflower Seniors Got Talent Show 7-9 p.m. Sept. 18 at the Stiefel Theatre in Salina. Tickets can be purchased at the Stiefel website: www.steifeltheatre.org. Proceeds go to fund programs benefiting area seniors, like Meals on Wheels.

This article originally appeared on Salina Journal: Saline County adds roads to list of improvement items under ARPA