Eight projects have met the criteria set by Kingfisher County commissioners and are now in line to be put into action using funds from the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA).

Congress passed ARPA to provide local governments a tool to combat the negative effects of COVID-19 by addressing health and economic impacts.

Kingfisher County was designated to receive just over $3.06 million and has already received half of those funds.

Commissioners asked county employees to request projects for which the funds could be used and established a tiered rating criteria to help identify where improvements could and should be made.

The criteria used were: Does the scope of the project/ expenditure specifically:

1. Fall in one of the seven identified expenditure categories identified by the U.S. Treasury?

2. Address structural deficiencies in design of facilities that made mitigation of COVID-19 difficult?

3. Address staffing deficiencies while maintaining pandemic operational needs?

4. Address logistical deficiencies while maintaining pandemic operational needs?

5. Address the response to a public health need (testing, vaccination, social distancing, mitigation of COVID-19)?

Each question was answered with a three-tiered number system with “1” being low, “2” being moderate and “3” being high in priority.

A project or expenditure that received a total of at least 10 out of a possible 15 was deemed justified in being approved by commissioners.

All eight projects or expenditures the commissioners discussed Monday at the commissioners’ regular meeting met that criteria.

Those projects and their total score were:

1. Purchase of COVID tests kits for use at the county jail: 13;

2. Purchase of stand-alone thermometer screening systems at the courthouse, county jail and health department: 13;

3. Construct a 40-feet long by 30-feet wide drive-through building for vaccinations and testing at the health department’s future location: 13;

4. Purchase a backup generator for the health department’s new location: 13;

5. Purchase air filtration systems for HVAC units at the courthouse, county jail and health department: 11;

6. Premium pay for all county employees and health department staff: 12;

7. Construct a new ADA-compliant ramp for the main entrance at the courthouse: 15;

8. Install a public service window for the county clerk’s office: 14.

The list of projects will now be submitted to the Oklahoma State Auditor and Inspector’s office for approval.

“Once we get approval from them, we’ll move forward on those projects,” Commission Chairman Heath Dobrovolny said.

He added the county is also working with the rural fire departments and water districts as well as the Chisholm Trail Museum to identify projects that might fall under the scope of ARPA.

However, he added, the county’s municipalities will have to act separately with the money they receive. “Every town is eligible for

“Every town is eligible for funding, but they have to go through the state directly,” Dobrovolny said. “The county cannot do it for them.”

In documentation provided to the county, Kingfisher is set to receive $788,755.63 in ARPA funds; Cashion gets $139,976.80; Dover gets $76,336.37; Hennessey gets $357,254.23; Loyal gets $13,338.78, and Okarche gets $213,902.56.

Also at Monday’s meeting, commissioners approved Circuit Engineering District auctions policies to dispose of designated surplus equipment.

The online auction is 8 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 11, through 10 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 13, and will be staged by Graham Auctioneers.

Commissioners also approved a number of pipeline crossings including:

• Two four-inch poly lines in District 1 and a 12-inch lay flat line in District 2 for K&J Construction LLC;

• An eight-inch poly line in District 1 for Lagoon Water Logistics;

• A four-inch steel line in District 1 for MarkWest Energy Operating LLC; and,

• A three-inch poly line in District 3 for Ovintiv.