WBOY.com

Bridgeport allocates ARPA funding

BRIDGEPORT, W.Va. (WBOY) — The City of Bridgeport has been awarded around $3.9 million through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). The city council recently decided how to allocate the funds.

While some other communities are spreading their funds to many different projects, Bridgeport is putting its money toward two projects.

The first project will spend up to $1.5 million on replacing a 10-inch main water line under I-79 with a new 12-inch line. The remaining money, close to $2.4 million, is going toward renovating the municipal complex or the construction of another building.

“We’re cramped,” City Manager Brian Newton said. “We’re filled up and so we’ve been meeting again with city council in work sessions trying to figure out, ‘Do we remodel this building?’, ‘Do we go build an additional building for either the police or do we go build an additional building for administration?'”

Currently, the Bridgeport Municipal Complex is being shared by multiple different groups. Newton also said they aren’t trying to rush the decision since Bridgeport has by 2024 to spend the ARPA funds.