News Photo by Steve Schulwitz Alpena County 911 dispatcher Rory Sherwood shows off a pair of handheld-radios that emergency first responders in Alpena County use to communicate. The board of commissioners is considering using some of its American Rescue Plan funding to help cover the cost of a new tower in Alpena that would help improve emergency services communication capability in the area.

ALPENA — The Alpena County Board of Commissioners is slowly, but surely, narrowing down a list of projects that could be funded from the $5.5 million the county received from the American Rescue Plan Act.

The process remains watered down, however, as confusion on how the stimulus funding can be used continues to slow the process.

Some of the projects that could be funded include a more than $1 million allocation to Alpena for a clear-water well replacement project as well as a new communications tower in Alpena that would improve communication between emergency first responders in the area. A project to expand fiber availability and improved internet service in rural areas, or contributing to organizations that intend to install fiber is being considered.

Installing an elevator in the courthouse and adding an addition to the animal control facility are other possible projects.

Commissioner Bob Adrian said there is no hurry to spend the money, since the county has until the end of 2024 to put the money to good use.

The money from the federal government is intended to help governments impacted negatively by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The county claims it lost a little more than $799,000 in revenue due to the pandemic. If the federal government signs off on that amount, the county can use that amount of money from the stimulus any way it sees fit.

The county can’t use any stimulus funds to pay down debt, but revenue loss is eligible for reimbursement, if the county can prove it, the federal government says.

At a special board meeting Wednesday, the commissioners reviewed project proposals submitted by one another and other community members. One by one, the board whittled down the list, which will be updated. Each commissioner will score the projects by priority, with the highest priority being scored a one. The projects with the lowest average scores will determine the projects to be funded.

Some of the proposed projects may or may not fall under the spending guidelines established by the federal government, such as investment into parks and hazard pay for non-union employees and elected officials.

The board will have its consultant, Straley Lamp & Kraenzlein, review the projects in question to help determine if they are eligible under the guidelines of the federal government.

Commissioner David Karschnick said he is pleased with the progress the board has made in working toward how to invest the money, but admitted he wished things would move a bit faster. He said with eight people on the same board — each of whom has many ideas on what the best use for the money is — things can become bogged down a bit.

Karschnick said it is important the county gets this right, because if it spends money on something not allowable, the county is liable financially for it.

“If we spend it on something that we aren’t supposed to, we would have to pay that money back to the government,” Karschnick said. “That is the last thing any of us want to do. I think projects having to do with public safety, health care, and fiber are all fine, but we have to make sure anything we spend falls under the government’s guidelines.”