Allocation of Over $41 Million Finalized for Barnstable County

July 1, 2023

Barnstable – Over $41 million dollars in ARPA funds were awarded to Barnstable County for regional purposes as an antidote to the COVID pandemic.

The Assistant County Administrator for Barnstable County, Vaira Harik, says that the funds have been allocated and they are in the process of completing projects in the allotted time frame.

“We have until the end of December of 2024 to make decisions as to where the money is going to go. Then all of the county including our sub-recipients have until the end of 2026 to complete the ARPA work,” Harik said.

With the allocation of the funds completed, the county is ahead of schedule in their planning and can now focus on completing the projects set out in front of them as any money that is not spent on ARPA project must be sent back.

Harik says that the board had a deliberate and thoughtful process when deciding where the funds would be received, starting with $10 million being distributed to each of the 15 towns.

“What the towns are largely using the fund from us for is for large scale infrastructure water projects. Comprehensive wastewater planning or sewage systems, and very appropriately so,” said Harik.

Other allocations include housing developments and non-profit organizations including food pantries and child care services on Cape that were directly impacted by COVID.