Beaufort County staff presented an outline to the County Council Executive Committee on December 6th, on the planned usage of the American Rescue Plan Act funds that were received from the Federal government. The recommendations come from the ARPA task force that included significant stakeholders from all across the County.
And, the recommendations that the task force came up with are spread out all over the county in public and private sectors.
They include community and revenue-generating projects such as the construction of community buildings and ferry services to creating a park and splash pad on St. Helena Island and creating a water park and campground at Burton Wells Park similar to the popular water parks in Greenville and Charleston counties.
Among many other things, recommendations also came through for helping local teachers repay their loans and the creation of a nursing pilot program in local high schools that partners with local colleges and Beaufort Memorial Hospital, as well as infrastructure and emergency management improvements.
But, a Beaufort water park? Yes, please.
“With the knowledge we have gained over the last six months, we believe we came up with a plan that benefits the entire county and is a good use of the federal funds,” said Jared Fralix, Assistant County Administrator – Engineering
Taskforce members include representatives from Beaufort County Government, Hilton Head Island, Bluffton, Port Royal, Beaufort and Yemassee, Lady’s Island-St. Helena Fire District, Bluffton Fire District, Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office, Beaufort County School District, Beaufort Memorial Hospital, University of South Carolina – Beaufort, Technical College of the Lowcountry, Lowcountry Regional Transit Authority, and Beaufort Jasper Water & Sewer Authority.
Each item on this list will require further details and be presented to the respective County Committee and then County Council for individual approval and public comment.
- Public Service Teacher Loan Payoff Program – $1,000,000
- Partner with the Beaufort County School District to create a loan payoff program for teachers.
- County Public Safety Recruitment and Relocation – $500,000
- Create incentives for Human Resources to utilize in recruitment efforts through stipends, signing bonuses, and other incentives to hire and keep employees.
- Nursing Pilot Program – $700,000
- Beaufort County, in partnership with Beaufort Memorial Hospital (BMH), Technical College of the Lowcountry (TCL), and Beaufort County School District, will partner to offer a CNA degree track as an Academy in high schools both North and South of the Broad River.
- Regional Housing Trust Fund – $1,200,000
- Seed money to create the housing trust fund.
- The goal is to create new housing units, or rehabilitate or preserve existing housing units, for households at or below 120% of Area Median Income, with a strong focus on households at or below 60% of Area Median Income.
- County Talent Recruiter – $200,000
- When needed, utilize a professional executive recruiter to recruit specialized and skilled workers to the county workforce
- Example IT professionals
- County upgrade to the Emergency Management Station Elerting System – $2,500,000
- The system will fully integrate all notifications methods into one system
- This will improve response times and streamline dispatching
- Supporting Local Municipalities through the Good Neighbor Fund – $3,000,000/$500,000 per municipality
- Municipalities would apply for the funds with the County for projects of their choosing that meet the guidelines and timelines of ARPA.
- A one-time disbursement of $500,000 to each municipality once requirements are met.
- Municipalities could be able to apply for one project or multiple projects.
- St Helena Splashpad and Play Area – $1,250,000
- A recreational facility that creates a space where children can come together to play while preserving and promoting the culture of St. Helena.
- New Riverside Park (Bluffton) – $1,000,000
- Funding would go toward phase 1 of the Conceptual Master plan, which includes:
- Primary Park Entrance and Vehicular Access
- Main Parking Lot, Trailhead & Restrooms
- Garvey Hall Entrance & Vehicular Access
- Hall Parking Lot and Trailhead and Restrooms
- Hiking trails totaling approximately 6.15 miles of varying surfaces and difficulty
- Burton Wells – Beaufort Water Park & Campground – $1,000,000
- Create tourist revenue-generating facilities similar to Greenville & Charleston County Parks & Recreation including a Beaufort Water Park
- Reconstruction Era National Historic Parks Network of Signs Program – $350,000
- Signage that lends a unified County-Wide presence to our historic sites related to the Reconstruction Era.
- Innovation – $1,900,000
- Broadband Adoption – $500,000
- Starlink Beta Test – $200,000
- Electric Vehicle County & Community Readiness – $1,200,000
- All three of these projects are placeholders as the county staff identifies funding opportunities at the State and Federal level,
- South Coast Cyber Building – $500,000
- Partner with the EDC, TCL, USCB, City of Beaufort, South Coast Cyber, and many other stakeholders to purchase and renovate a facility to establish a world-class center of excellence for cyber security and cyber defense education research innovation and business.
- The Gullah Farmers Cooperative (GFC) – $250,000
- Coordinate with EDC and GFC to complete critical facility upgrades, equipment purchases, upgrades, create an apprenticeship program and provide living wages for additional needed workers.
- Beaufort County Economic Development Corporation (EDC) Land Purchase – $50,000
- Support the Beaufort County EDC with a one-time grant of ARPA dollars towards land purchase intended to stimulate growth in underserved areas.
- Community Buildings – $3,000,000
- Garden’s Corner – $1,000,000
- St Helena – $1,000,000
- Daufuskie – $1,000,000
- There is a lack of neighborhood community meeting spaces where various partners can reach residents and upgrade existing community buildings.
- Mental Health Telehealth – $1,000,000
- Work with Beaufort Memorial Hospital to recruit a Hospital Psychiatrist that can treat inmates via Telehealth for a predetermined period.
- Potential funding from Beaufort County School District may be available to serve the student population.
- Infrastructure
- Regional Ferry Service – $500,000
- General Infrastructure Fund – $8,000,000
- Water and Sewer – $3,000,000
- County ID Data Center – $400,000
- Beaufort County Regional Ferry Study – $500,000
- The $500,000 would be used to study and plan a County-wide ferry service.
- Identify opportunities and incentives for improving/expanding marine access and transport services, e.g., ferry services for residents of Beaufort County.
- Partnership with Savannah, GA, and other municipalities as available.
- Funds – $5,300,000
- Airport Investment – $2,000,000
- Solid Waste and Recyling Investment – $2,000,000
- County Garage Capital Fund – $1,000,000
- Daufuskie Island Improvements Fund – $300,000
- ARPA Management – $905,000
- Hire Project and fiscal Managers to ensure funds are spent timely, correctly, and reported to the Federal Government appropriately.
- Funding would go toward phase 1 of the Conceptual Master plan, which includes:
- When needed, utilize a professional executive recruiter to recruit specialized and skilled workers to the county workforce
The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, also called the COVID-19 Stimulus Package is a $1.9 trillion economic stimulus bill passed by Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden on March 11, 2021, to speed up the country’s recovery from the economic and health effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the ongoing recession.
