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On Tuesday, the Troup County Board of Commissioners discussed a plan to spend the majority of remaining American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds, which must be designated for expenditure by the end of the year.

One of the allowed uses of the funds is air quality improvement, which HVAC system purchases fall under. 

“We have about $590,000 left in ARPA that we can spend on HVAC or other things similar to that. We have to commit it by December 31, or we have to give that money back to the federal government,” Assistant County Manager Jay Anderson said.

Anderson said many of the county’s HVAC units are 17 to 20 years old and are already failing, so he suggested using the ARPA funds to replace them. 

Bids were solicited to replace HVAC units at Fire Station #1 (Hamilton Road), Fire Station #2 (Hillcrest), Fire Station #4 (Long Cane), Fire Station #6 (Whitfield), Fire Station #10 (Abbottsford), Fire Station #11 (Hogansville), Fire Station #12 (Oak Grove), Fire Station #14 (Airport), Mike Daniel Recreation Center, Shuford Fields Softball Complex, old Georgia State Patrol building, Juvenile Court building and the Dallis Street building.

Out of three bids submitted from Air Force, Jackson Services and Merrell & Associates, Jackson was the low bidder, submitting a total bid of $508,550.

Anderson said staff looked at HVAC units at every facility and ended up prioritizing these units as the ones in the worst shape.

He said with the number of units that are being replaced, the county should definitely see savings on utility bills due to the newer, more efficient units.

Commissioner Morris Jones suggested potentially using some of the better units among the ones being replaced to add air conditioning units to volunteer fire stations that don’t already have them.

About $82,000 in ARPA funds will remain after the purchase.