Where's Bethel Church getting water to build its new Redding campus? ARPA money for Shasta jail?

Ask the Record Searchlight is a newsroom-wide initiative to connect with you, our readers. If you wondered about something happening in town or had questions on a North State issue, tell us about it. We'll do our best to answer every Thursday.

Here are answers to the latest R-S reader questions, which have been edited for clarity, length and accuracy.

Scroll to the bottom of this story to find out how you can ask the Record Searchlight.

About Bethel's water supply during construction

Q: Where is Bethel Church getting the water for construction of its new campus in Redding?

A: The new campus at Twin Tower Drive and Collyer Drive is in the Bella Vista Water District.

David Coxey, general manager of the water district, said his agency has not yet completed an agreement with Bethel to supply water during drought years, which we are in now.

Coxey said that is not unusual.

While the opening of the campus is still years away, construction has started, and Bella Vista is providing water to crews doing the work via a temporary meter construction connection.

The water being used for construction comes from purchases the Bella Vista Water District made from the city of Redding, Coxey said.

“It is an unusual water year in that we are in such a dire water supply situation, so I get the extra attention,” Coxey said. “But they are building this big project out there, they are turning dirt, so they do have construction water.”

Coxey said customers want to know if the Bethel project is taking water supply away from them.

“No, it’s not taking your water away,” he said.

“We were able to buy water from the city earlier in the year and that more than offsets any construction water that Bethel is using,” Coxey added.

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Can Shasta County use ARPA money for a new jail?

Q: Through the American Recovery Plan Act, Shasta County received millions of dollars to help local businesses recover from the pandemic. Instead, the Board of Supervisors is planning to spend the majority of those funds toward building a new jail. How is that legal?

A: Shasta County received $35 million in ARPA money.

It is true that the Shasta County Board of Supervisors in May voted to allocate $25 million toward a new jail.

Initially, the idea was to allocate $10 million to a new jail. But spurred by Supervisor Les Baugh, who chairs the board, the county decided to look for ways in which more could be put toward a jail.

County Counsel Rubin Cruse Jr. said conceivably money could be used to build ancillary components within the jail, like mental health services and job placement programs. That would be a way to squeeze more ARPA money for the jail.

Cruse said the county would have to make its case to the federal government but believed it could be justified.

The federal money allows governments to support their pandemic response but move forward with recovery.

By the way, much of the balance of the ARPA money is expected to be spent on:

• Grants to water districts, community service districts, $2 million

• Grants to fire protection districts and volunteer fire departments, $1.65 million,

• Ownership housing development project (10-16 units), $1.65 million,

• Workforce retention partnership program with SMART Workforce Center, $800,000

• Administration of funds, projects and contracts, $3.1 million.

How Ask the Record Searchlight works

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David Benda covers business, development and anything else that comes up for the USA TODAY Network in Redding. He also writes the weekly "Buzz on the Street" column. He’s part of a team of dedicated reporters that investigate wrongdoing, cover breaking news and tell other stories about your community. Reach him on Twitter @DavidBenda_RS or by phone at 1-530-338-8323. To support and sustain this work, please subscribe today.

This article originally appeared on Redding Record Searchlight: Where's Bethel getting water for new Redding campus? ARPA for Shasta jail?