The Greeneville Water Commission Board unanimously approved the acceptance of an additional $1.5 million in federal American Rescue Plan grant funds during its meeting Tuesday morning.
The American Rescue Plan Act was initially passed in 2021, and most grant funds provided by the federal legislation have already been used across the nation.
However, Greeneville Water Commission Superintendent Laura White said Tuesday that some grant funding went unused by some states and municipalities, which resulted in leftover funds that could be applied for through a followup process.
The funds will go towards backfilling the Water Commission’s sewer capital projects fund. The Water Commission recently had to expend funds on a sewer project near Snapps Ferry Road that was supposed to be covered by grant funding. However, the bids for the project came in much higher than expected, and the Water Commission had to make up the difference on the nearly $4 million project with its own funds.
The additional ARP funds will go towards replenishing the utility’s sewer capital project funds, which White said will “free up” funding for future projects as the Water Commission continues to rehabilitate its aging sewer infrastructure.
Due to the nature of the American Rescue Plan grant funding, the Greeneville City Council must also approve the acceptance of the funds for them to be delivered to the Water Commission. The City Council will consider the acceptance of the funds at a future meeting.
