County commits nearly all pandemic funds

Paul B. Johnson, The High Point Enterprise, N.C.
·2 min read

Aug. 12—GUILFORD COUNTY — The Guilford County Board of Commissioners has about $45 million left from what was $104 million of federal coronavirus pandemic relief funding after fulfilling requests earlier this week made by cities and towns for local projects.

The commissioners received the federal funding last year after Congress passed the American Rescue Plan Act to help communities across the country recover from the impact of the pandemic.

The commissioners allocated $41.3 million to six cities and towns during a work session on Tuesday.

The money primarily went to projects requested by Greensboro, Summerfield, Pleasant Garden, Gibsonville, Oak Ridge and Stokesdale, though $200,000 was set aside for a High Point area project to improve utility infrastructure along N.C. 62 to boost firefighting water resources.

The commissioners previously allocated $13.4 million to reimburse the cost of cleaning supplies and services and for personal protective equipment used in the response to counter COVID-19, as well as $4.3 million in extra funding to county departments.

The county, by federal regulation, must designate uses for its pandemic relief funding by December 2024 and spend all of the money by December 2026.

Guilford County Board of Commissioners Chairman Skip Alston told The High Point Enterprise that he wants to disburse the remaining money instead of keeping some dollars in reserve.

"I want to go ahead and allocate it right away because the need is right away," he said.

Alston said the commissioners have received requests for more than $250 million from more than 100 community organizations.

"I don't want to hold back any money if the need is there," Alston said. "It's justified for us to go ahead and spend the money now because the problems are now and not later."

Vice Chairwoman Carlvena Foster agreed and said the commissioners will hold a work session soon on the community organizations requesting American Rescue Plan Act money.

"The needs are really pressing," she said.

Foster said she hopes all the remaining funding will be allocated no later than September.

pjohnson@hpenews.com — 336-888-3528 — @HPEpaul