DALTON GARDENS — Just before the clock ran out with the ringing in of the new year, the Dalton Gardens City Council held a special meeting Monday to earmark ARPA funds before the end of the year to keep them in play.  

In order to be eligible for city infrastructure needs between now and 2026, they needed to be committed to specific project by Dec. 31, 2024. 

Council President Tyler Drechsel called it the “last chance” for Dalton Gardens to make sure that critical infrastructure improvements the city’s small operating budget couldn’t cover were addressed while the funds remained. 

“It’s hard to spend out of your operating budget to replace old infrastructure, but those are now earmarked,” Drechsel said in a phone interview. “We’re excited about a new heavy-duty snowplow for the city and we’re looking at some improvements to our septic system." 

Smaller improvements such as painting council chamber at City Hall and putting in toilets are expected to take place in January.  

ARPA funds were used in 2024 to put a new roof on City Hall, and horse arena improvements began this year and will continue in 2025. 

The revitalization and replacement of the city parking lot will use some ARPA funds as well as money coming out of the city's budget to address drainage issues. The city lot is one of several projects the city has been forced to defer maintenance for due to cost over the years.  

“The parking lot is a big one that’s been discussed since 2008. We’re finally at that point,” Drechsel said.

The prior estimate the city is using for the parking lot improvements was $21,845 and will help address the deterioration of the asphalt.  

The City Council voted to cap the remaining ARPA funds toward the project at $7,800.