Neighbors weigh in on Rome’s $12M ARPA funding | News

Community members spoke before the Common Council’s ad hoc ARPA Funding Committee, comprised of Common Council President Stephanie Viscelli, First Ward Councilor John M. Sparace and Third Ward Councilor Kimberly Rogers.

Viscelli opened the two-hour meeting by giving an overview of what projects ARPA funds could be used toward. The city received a little more than $11 million in the federal funding last year, while the remaining $12 million-plus is expected to be received around May. She said members of the committee and city officials had to review more than 460 pages of “rules” as to how the monies may be spent.

Rome was awarded nearly $25 million total.

It was recommended by City Treasurer David C. Nolan that the ARPA rules first be reviewed because “some communities are already in trouble for the way they spent their money or they haven’t followed the rules at all,” Viscelli said.

“We don’t want to spend this money inappropriately because they (federal government) may take the money away, or we’d have to pay it back.”

Viscelli noted that funds could not be used to reduce taxes, to pay for any judgments in lawsuits that may have been filed against a municipality, or to pay the interest on any bonds.

“But there are lots of other things we can do with this funding that would give us long-term results,” she said.

Local residents in attendance were provided with an outline of ARPA expenditure categories that included:

• Public health: COVID-19 mitigation and prevention; medical expenses; behavior health care; preventing and responding to (domestic) violence; construction of schools and hospitals; and health services.

• Negative economic impacts (assistance to households and communities): For low or moderate income households provide food assistance and food banks; emergency housing assistance; job training; child care services; long-term housing security programs/services; small business assistance for those with less than 500 employees; loans and grants to mitigate financial hardship; and technical assistance to mitigate negative impacts of the pandemic.

• Services to disproportionately impacted communities: For low-income households provide remediation of lead hazards; investments into medical equipment and facilities; housing vouchers; investments in neighborhoods to promote health; improvements to vacant and abandoned properties (rehab, renovation, environmental renovation, demolition, vacant lot cleanup); rehabilitation to commercial properties; technical assistance and grants for start-ups and expansions; financial, child care and transportation support for micro businesses; non-profit assistance; premium pay/administrative; water, sewer and stormwater infrastructure; and broadband infrastructure.

• Public revenue loss replacement (spending on government services): Road building and maintenance, and other infrastructure; general government administration, staff and administrative facilities; environmental remediation; and provision of police, fire and other public safety services, including the purchase of fire trucks and police vehicles.

Sparace then gave an overview of the Woodhaven Rehabilitation Project. The council recently approved investing about $4 million in ARPA funds for infrastructure work at the 100-acre residential development bordered by Floyd Avenue and Park Drive. The first phase of construction at the site has already begun, which will include 37 single-family homes to be built by the end of the year. The council also recently voted to transfer more than $343,000 to a capital account to be used toward the design of new water infrastructure at Woodhaven that would “loop” water back to existing infrastructure on Floyd Avenue.

Sparace said roads will also need to be reconstructed within the site, as well as new sidewalks, trees and other streetscape amenities added.

Among the outcomes of the Woodhaven project are: “$30 million in tax revenues, it eliminates blight and crime issues in the area, hopefully it will help with new development stabilizing the community and developing a better asset for the area; and it’s supporting housing and neighborhood development for local and regional growth,” Sparace said.

Out of the original ARPA funding received by the city last year, Rogers said $1.3 million was used toward a new aerial truck for the fire department. Monies were also utilized to purchase a new pumper and both trucks were “past their life use,” she said.

Rogers also updated those in attendance on the City Hall Building Project, which is part of the city’s Downtown Revitalization Initiative. The councilor said the windows leak and seals on them are broken; and there are other leaks and roof issues.

“COVID brought front-and-center ventilation issues here in this building and other city buildings, and we have major electrical problems in this building where we’re violating our own electrical codes that need to be fixed,” said Rogers.

There are also plans to close off a part of the front of City Hall for use as a “community room” for the public.

“This is a DRI-funded project, but as with any other project — we looked at it and because there’s some structural issues — we need to move the electrical room and offices, there’s security issues. … We can use ARPA to offset the costs,” Rogers said. “The cost of construction is high right now, so all the projects we’ve been talking about — when they were originally conceptual projects — they would cost a lot more now than they would have a year or two ago.”

Rogers also explained that the city has done two structural engineering reports on the Liberty-James garage and it’s “not in good condition at all,” adding that the garage was built in 1976 and had an intended 50-year lifespan. Concrete is deteriorated to the point rusted rebar is visible, and the third and fourth levels had to be closed because they were deemed unsafe, she said.

Rogers said the city has the option to invest $8 million to “put a band-aid on it” and get another 10-15 years out of the structure, or it can demolish the garage and create surface area parking spaces. Cost to demolish the garage is just under $1.2 million, the councilor said. However, the total cost to also add parking spaces and green space would be around $2.5 million.

“It’s another project where if we don’t use ARPA funding, it will be a taxpayer cost,” Rogers said. “We really don’t have an option — it will eventually need to come down.”

The conversation then shifted to Delta Luxury Estates on Merrick Road, the continuation of development by Buck Construction of Whitesboro. Rogers explained that according to the city’s charter, the developer is entitled to the 75/25 infrastructure improvement for the project, with the city responsible for 75%.

“Do you fund it through bond or try to find other monies, or utilize ARPA funds?,” the councilor asked. “… It’s not a question of if we’re funding it, by charter, we need to provide 75 percent of the cost on that infrastructure whether we use ARPA or bond for it.”

Because ARPA funds may be used toward public safety, Viscelli pointed out police body cameras were funded with grant monies and were included in this year’s budget, but the federal funds may possibly be needed toward additional costs as storage software is still being developed.

Sparace then opened the meeting up to the public.

One man who identified himself as once living at Woodhaven, complained that “Woodhaven is a farce,” and demanded funds be spent on road improvements, sidewalks and building rehabilitation, as well as assistance for small businesses hit hard during the pandemic, and addressing vacant properties.

Chris Klara, a resident of Mohawk Drive, said he was a lifelong resident of Rome and former business owner, who would like to see blighted areas addressed. He asked about possibly investing monies into trash collecting programs and installing trash/recycling cans on street corners.

“The city shouldn’t look like this,” Klara said.

Even trash bins at local shopping plazas “are always overflowing at any mall in Rome,” he said. “It’s embarrassing for me, and it really hits home. We need a comprehensive blight initiative.”

Another man asked if the city had rejected the idea of premium pay for first responders, and the councilors indicated that would be part of future discussions.

Bobbie O’Brien spoke as president of the Rome Historical Society Board of Trustees, requesting that the ad hoc committee consider funds toward RHS, which has suffered “considerable loss of revenue” with little to no visits due to the pandemic in the last two years.

“Little to no tourism and inability for in-person visits to the museum coupled with major infrastructure repairs, created a negative $100,000 impact” on RHS, she said. “Like many other organizations, it has been fiscally draining to weather through the pandemic. And now everyone is also feeling the pressures of rampant economic increases.”

O’Brien also added that RHS has been operating on approximately one-third of the subsidy than it was receiving back in 2008, “and there has been no increase in the annual subsidy in many years; no COLA increases or recognition of many additional requests by the city for additional services.”

She said, “The ARPA funds make this a unique opportunity for the city to show its support and provide a commitment to RHS. This request will provide RHS the ability to reset, add additional staff (there are two currently) to provide more services to the community, improve the quality of collection practices and provide the city and community at-large events and programs that we are able to launch because resources can’t be stretched any further.”

O’Brien said providing ARPA funds for RHS would have “zero impact” on the city budget and suggested possible funding of $1 million that could be spread out in five annual payments of $200,000.

County Legislator Cynthia Rogers Witt, R-4, Rome, mentioned that sidewalks near the Colonial Apartments are not handicap accessible, and that she would be in favor of having ARPA money go to landlords specifically to make improvements to properties.

Finally, retired Rome Police Sgt. Sandra Gerhardt said among her suggestions were improvements and expansion of Rome train station.

“The facilities in the Rome train station are subpar at best. The walkways going to trackside are filled with water, which is odoriferous in a bad way,” Gerhardt said. “The one elevator smells strongly of urine and is something that doesn’t feel very sturdy. When you get to the trackside, it is not a welcoming sight or feel, it seems weathered and not too safe. All these things create an atmosphere of disgust, to give travelers — many of our own citizens — to find better facilities at the Utica train station.”