If you had $1 million to help rescue a city from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, what would you spend it on? That’s the question Soldotna administrators and city council members mulled during a work session Wednesday as they brainstormed the best way to spend just over $1 million in COVID relief funds.
The removal and reforestation of trees infected with spruce bark beetles, a community arts and culture endowment, another shop local program and capital projects were all ideas council members floated for potential uses of the funds, which the city received in two tranches and which must be obligated by the end of 2024.
In all, the City of Soldotna received about $1.14 million through the federal American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. Prior to March, none of those funds had been expended. Council members have since approved up to $150,000 for the hiring of a grant writer, as well as the use of ARPA funds to help remove beetle-killed trees in the area. Soldotna Public Works Director Kyle Kornelis estimates the cost to address six key properties will be around $110,000.
The ad hoc approach is different from how the city distributed federal money received through the CARES Act, a different economic COVID relief package. Through the CARES Act, the City of Soldotna received about $10 million, including $7.38 million from the state and about $2.56 million from the Kenai Peninsula Borough.
Soldotna City Manager Stephanie Queen said the city suggests the funds be used in a way that adds “lasting value” to Soldotna, whether that is through infrastructure or meeting another community need.
“That concept of adding lasting value, I think, is something that we focused more on in the second half of the deployment of the CARES Act funds,” Queen said. “The first half was just (meeting) critical needs fast.”
Queen also recommended that the funds not be used for ongoing operational expenses because ARPA is a one-time funding source.
“We wouldn’t want to meet ongoing existing needs with that type of funding,” Queen said. “We would prefer to have sustainable funding set up for, kind of, our general operations.”
Council member Dave Carey proposed using some of the money for another shop local program, through which people who shop at Soldotna stores are given vouchers to use at participating Soldotna businesses, while council member Justin Ruffridge suggested the city start a community arts endowment.
Some council members pushed back on the idea of another shop local program and said offering it three years in a row may cause people to expect that the program be offered in subsequent years when the city may not have the same funds available.
Multiple council members said the money could be used to address the city’s spruce bark beetle problem, such as giving incentives to residents to fell infected trees on their property and reforesting with trees taller than 6 feet. Council member Jordan Chilson said the money could be used to tackle one of the city’s capital priorities, such as revamping the gravel lot near Soldotna Creek Park to expand parking and greenspace.
Queen said that city administrators would be able to bring a spending outline back for council members to consider. Council member Dave Carey said he’d like to engage city residents in the deliberation process, such as through an online poll.
Soldotna Mayor Paul Whitney, who attended the work session remotely, voiced his support for the re-treeing idea, which he said would be a boost for community beautification efforts, and praised the ideas floated by other council members.
“I think this was a very helpful and productive meeting,” Whitney said. “I think there were some great thoughts and ideas coming out of it.”
The Soldotna City Council’s Wednesday work session can be viewed on the city’s website at soldotna.org.
Reach reporter Ashlyn O’Hara at ashlyn.ohara@peninsulaclarion.com.
