A number of allocations from the town’s American Rescue Plan (ARP) funding have been approved by the Board of Selectmen (BOS) — the first step before facing the Board of Finance and Legislative Council.

At its March 7 meeting, the BOS approved $2,195,000 in spending, including $1.5 million for a water distribution center at Fairfield Hills; $190,000 for a roof replacement of the multi-purpose building; $50,000 to replace or repair some underground fire suppression tanks; a $325,000 reimbursement to the town’s self-funded insurance for costs of COVID; and $40,000 for COVID-related supplies.

In addition, $15,000 in grants were approved for each of four town volunteer fire companies, Newtown Underwater Search and Rescue (NUSAR), and the Newtown Volunteer Ambulance Corps (NVAC). Newtown Hook and Ladder is getting an allocation of $15,000 in ARP funds from the Borough of Newtown.

The final decisions were on hold while awaiting a legal opinion from Town Attorney David Grogins that the town was on solid ground in allocating the money this way, said First Selectman Dan Rosenthal.

“Now we’re satisfied, and we feel comfortable making appropriations based on [the legal opinion],” Rosenthal said.

The allocations mean that roughly $4.5 million of the total $7.4 million the town received has been used. The town has until 2025 to spend all the money, of which approximately $2.9 million remains, meaning it can take its time with further decisions.

Rosenthal said the focus has been on using the money for things that the town was already planning on spending money on, “rather than open up the floodgates for things we never would have considered.”

“While we can’t use the money to reduce taxes, we can help the taxpayers by using the money on things we were going to do anyway,” said Rosenthal.

Selectman Ed Schierloh said that year five of the town’s Capital Improvement Plan had $750,000 for the water project at Fairfield Hills, and that project was divided up into four phases, with more money spent in future years. By spending $1.5 million on the project now, he pointed out the town can do the first three phases, as well as coinciding the work with an already-occurring sewer project so that the roads don’t have to be torn up a second time.

Schierloh said it makes sense to do more of the project at once rather than “stretching it out.” He also said that the pipes in the area are very old and he’s “sure they are at the point where they need to be replaced.”

While the water distribution system will not go into the same ditches as the sewer project, since the road will already be dug up, Rosenthal agreed the town will save money by being able to repave everything at the same time rather than having to repave the roads twice if the projects were done separately.

“It makes little sense to do the sewer line now and cut up the road again in three years to do the water line,” said Rosenthal. “To line them up together makes sense.”

The multi-purpose building is located in Sandy Hook Center, and is the location of the Children’s Adventure Center as well as where some of the town’s voting machines are stored.

With the BOS voting for the appropriations unanimously, the ARP spending is expected to be reviewed by the Board of Finance and Legislative Council at future meetings.

Reporter Jim Taylor can be reached at jim@thebee.com.