Cape to apply for ARPA grants to fund water projects

Along with the approval of the new carrier service for Cape Girardeau Regional Airport, Cape Girardeau City Council members unanimously approved two resolutions authorizing grant applications for water infrastructure improvements as part of Monday's consent agenda.

The applications will be completed and sent to the state Department of Natural Resources to allow the city to make improvements to its stormwater and drinking water infrastructure.

The grants, if awarded, will come from the American Rescue Plan Act. ARPA was a $1.9 trillion COVID-19 pandemic era aid package passed by Congress, in part, to grant financial assistance to state and local governments for public health infrastructure improvements.

The state legislature appropriated $410 million of the state's $2.6 billion in ARPA funds to the Department of Natural Resources, with $125 million to be used for drinking water projects and $150 million to be used for stormwater projects.

The city is hoping to leverage potential ARPA funds with a portion of $18 million from the city's Capital Improvement Sales Tax -- extended by voters in 2019 to 2034 -- allocated for water system improvements to improve the lime system for city drinking water.

Lime systems lower the pH of water, thus reducing the risks of acid water and helping combat pipe and water main corrosion.

The current system has "reached its useful design life" and needs an upgrade, according to the meeting's agenda. The upgrade will come in the form of a high-density lime slurry, which can be retrofitted to the existing system and has the potential to be more efficient and lower maintenance costs than the method currently in use, according to the project description.

The total cost of the project is an estimated $5.07 million with a little more than $4 million being requested in ARPA funds.

The stormwater improvements would bolster existing funds from the $10.6 million gained from the Parks and Recreation Stormwater Tax Phase 2 -- passed by voters in 2018 -- in order to increase the number of projects the city can complete, according to the meeting agenda.

In other business, council members approved a resolution authorizing an application for ARPA funds for lead line service inventories and approved two resolutions authorizing grant applications from the 2022 Transportation Alternatives Program for North Cape Rock Drive sidewalk projects.