At its February 8 meeting, the Legislative Council heard a report detailing some proposals for how Newtown might spend some of its American Rescue Plan (ARP) funding.

With the American Rescue Plan Workgroup — a subcommittee of members of the council, Board of Selectmen, and Board of Finance — working to whittle down a long list of suggestions from town department heads into a final proposal, member and Councilman Matt Mihalcik noted projects that have met with that group’s approval.

Among them are $1.5 million for a water distribution system at Fairfield Hills.

“There is a sewer project going on campus in spring or summer,” said Mihalcik. “We suggested this project to capitalize on those improvements, since the roads will be torn up.”

Mihalcik noted that while the water distribution system will not go into the same ditches as the sewer project, since the road will already be dug up 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 at separate times.

The Capital Improvement Plan had $750,000 in for the project, which was roughly half the upgrade. The $1.5 million project will allow for an upgrade of the entire system.

The workgroup also approved of $140,000 for a roof replacement on the multi-purpose building at Sandy Hook Center. The multi-purpose building is where the Children’s Adventure Center is located, as well as a location where town voting machines are being stored.

Other things the workgroup approved are $15,000 grants for each of the town’s five fire companies, Newtown Underwater Search And Rescue (NUSAR), and Newtown Volunteer Ambulance Corps, for a total of $90,000; $325,000 to reimburse the town’s self-paid medical insurance; $50,000 for fire suppression tank repairs; and $40,000 to the town to reimburse for COVID expenses.

The approval process was intended to start at the Board of Selectmen’s February 7 meeting; however, action was delayed until receiving a legal opinion from Town Attorney David Grogins on how to appropriate the money.

“[Finance Director] Bob [Tait] and I reviewed this and think we’re on solid ground, but we want to make sure,” said First Selectman Dan Rosenthal. He is expecting that legal opinion by February 11.

The aforementioned items have been endorsed at the workgroup level but still need approval from the Board of Selectmen (BOS), Board of Finance, and Legislative Council. Rosenthal said the ARP proposals are expected to be on the agenda of the BOS February 22 meeting.

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