Last of SLFRF funds allocated

WALLACE — The Shoshone County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) met with Shoshone County Grants Administrator Colleen Rosson last Wednesday to discuss the final allocation of Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (SLFRF).

The funds are authorized by the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), which was signed in March 2021, providing $350 billion in additional funding for state and local governments to combat the numerous financial consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The grant administrator works to ensure the funds are used in compliance with the regulatory and statutory requirements provided by the United States Department of the Treasury, tracks funds and reviews project funding requests submitted to Shoshone County.

Requests were submitted from The Mullan Volunteer Fire Department, The Shoshone County Mining and Smelting Museum (Staff House Museum), Shoshone County Snowmobile Groomer Advisory Board and Sportsman's Association. Previously tabled requests were also discussed, including a new ambulance for the Shoshone County Ambulance Service District (SCASD).

The Mullan Volunteer Fire Department requested $37,000 from these funds to be applied to repairing the doors on the fire station for $12,000 and $25,000 for a natural gas generator.

“The intent is to use the Fire Department/City Hall as an emergency shelter, plus it keeps water running. They have laundry services, so that people who are trapped on the pass, or residents themselves can use this emergency,” Rosson said.

The request for $37,000 was approved unanimously.

The Sportsman’s Association requested $30,000 for upgrades to the Hale Fish Hatchery by East Shoshone Park, which also holds the apartment for the caretaker. The request was unanimously denied as it’s a personal residence and does not significantly impact the public.

The group then discussed the previously tabled requests, beginning with the request from the city of Kellogg for $200,000 to complete a section of pipeline that spans from Elizabeth Park to the west end of the Central Impoundment Area between Kellogg and Smelterville. According to Kellogg City Superintendent Mike Fitzgerald, $45,000 is for the slip-line, and the rest of the cost would cover trenching it.

The BOCC unanimously approved $50,000 to the city of Kellogg to go toward the slip-line construction.

The following discussion was the previously tabled request for a new ambulance for SCASD, which would complete its fleet of emergency vehicles and get it back on track with its rotation. After much deliberation, a motion was made to approve $150,000 toward SCASD for a new ambulance.

The Shoshone County Mining and Smelting Museum, also known as the Staff House Museum, asked for $35,000 to paint the exterior of the building. The museum is open to the public during the summer months and opens at special request during the winter months. The museum also has a basement area, which is ADA accessible for events.

The last motion was to split the remaining amount of money to give equal amounts to the Staff House Museum and the Snowmobile Advisory Board, giving each group $25,000 by a unanimous decision.