The Port Townsend City Council is set to weigh in Monday on a ranked list of projects intended to address the immediate public health and economic impacts of the coronavirus pandemic in Jefferson County.
The county’s board of commissioners finished its work to pare down and prioritize that list Wednesday morning, directing county staff to hammer out the finer points of each project and begin drawing up contracts with the organizations which proposed them and which will eventually receive a slice of limited Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act funds that must be spent by the end of the year.
County and city staff will continue to work together, City Manager John Mauro said, with the goal of getting the most for their money — $633,515 from the county and $144,150 from the city for a total $777,665.
“Through this process, it really is feeling like we’re turning a corner with the county and city collaborating,” County Administrator Philip Morley said.
The most up-to-date list includes 29 projects worth $846,920, meaning some proposals might not receive the full funding.
For example, a request for $190,000 to reimburse the Jefferson County Public Utility District for the cost of constructing 12 WiFi internet hotspots around the county since March might not be funded in full.
“All of these numbers are going to change little bit because we don’t want to leave any money on the table,” Commissioner Kate Dean said. “We recognize the squishiness of the numbers and want to have a plan to maximize our dollars.”
That could result from evolving cost expectations as county staff begin to draw up contracts with receiving organizations, as well as the need to ensure the money is only spent on projects through the end of the year.
“We want to be overestimating right now because we anticipate some of these aren’t going to be fully fundable,” Commission Chair Greg Brotherton said.
The nearly 40 original funding proposals were developed and submitted by six community-based groups, each focused on different areas impacted by the pandemic — culture and events, economy and jobs, children and families, human services, food system resiliency and broadband.
The commissioners ranked those proposals on Monday as well as several others, with those that struggled to meet strict eligibility requirements set by Congress and the state Department of Commerce falling to the bottom of the list.
On Wednesday, the commissioners ranked and incorporated updated proposals from the culture and events group, which shifted from requesting a large tent and a stage for outdoor performances to a street-size tent and heating units to accommodate outdoor dining in support of restaurants in downtown Port Townsend.
“I think there was concern that the commissioners raised, particularly about the tent and the stage, and the culture and events group really heard that,” Morley said.
Some of the commissioners’ top-ranked projects include establishing a family resources navigator and website through the YMCA, bolstering the Jefferson County Farmers Markets Association’s SNAP match program, helping residents pay utility bills, helping businesses pay electric bills, and ensuring the availability of affordable childcare through the YMCA.
Other highly ranked projects include supporting senior meal programs and school meal programs through the Olympic Peninsula Farmers Fund, creating and distributing food boxes to low-income families with school children, providing 24/7 staffing and daily meals at the American Legion shelter, establishing a study lounge for students struggling with absenteeism through Proctor House and Jefferson County Juvenile Services, and purchasing portable hand-washing stations and a public-restroom trailer.
“Many counties didn’t hold any public process; they just said we’re going to fund this or that at their own discretion,” Dean said. “I’m so glad that the community groups helped us come up with these.”
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Jefferson County senior reporter Nicholas Johnson can be reached by phone at 360-417-3509 or by email at njohnson@peninsuladailynews.com.
