Copperas Cove city council gives direction for use of COVID-19 relief funds

By BRITTANY FHOLER

Cove Leader-Press

The Copperas Cove City Council discussed and provided direction on further American Rescue Plan Act fund allocations during their meeting Tuesday evening. 

The city’s eligible ARPA coronavirus relief funding amount is $8,235,166.01, and the city received 50 percent of that amount last fall. 

Infrastructure and technology projects 

Previously, the city council had directed and allocated a total of $2.9 million worth of projects, to include $582,906 worth of premium pay for essential workers (which includes essentially all departments minus the city manager); $429,254 to upgrade the Copperas Cove Network Backbone; $303,570 in computer upgrades across the city’s departments; $255,000 worth of fiber broadband expansion to allow Copperas Cove Police Department to connect to the Bell County Communications Center and to Temple for the Niche implementation; $80,000 for upgrading the servers from stand alone to a new virtualized server environment and data storage expansion; and $1.3 million for the purchase of three additional generators for the city to develop its Emergency Response Plan (ERA) for TCEQ and a plan under the federal AWIA act. The TCEQ ERA requires water districts to maintain required volume and pressure on the system for a minimum period of 24 hours without electricity. 

Remaining projects eligible for allocation include the replacement of an existing 20-inch transmission line by relocating and installing approximately 26,000 linear feet of 24-inch water line from Clear Creek Drive to the city of Copperas Cove’s Turkey Run Pump Station, for a cost of around $3 million. 

Public Works Director Scott Osburn explained later in the meeting that there is still 18,000 feet of transmission line remaining but that the city does not have the resources to replace that remaining amount. This 26,000 feet is the “most critical component” of the Killeen/Cove line, he added. 

This is one item that council members gave full consensus and agreement on moving forward with, while other items received a majority of half consensus. 

“Previously we talked about a $40 million plus allocation that would be needed from ARPA funds,” said City Manager Ryan Haverlah. “After the project was bid it’s estimated that approximately $3 million would be needed from ARPA to complete the project in its entirety.”

Later in the meeting, council members approved an action item that would authorize the city manager to execute a contract with S.J. Louis Construction of Texas, LTD for the award of a bid for the Killeen-Cove Water Lines Relocation and Abandonment Project, in the amount of $9,851,781.35. The funding for this project will come from the 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2020 Water and Sewer Certificates of Obligation accounts, as well as $3,000,000 that will be utilized from ARPA funding.

Public Safety  

Other items on the list for possible allocation included: 

• The addition of two Firefighter II positions to be able to fully staff a fourth ambulance for one fiscal year ($219,178);
• A Firearms Range Cover and Storage Building, which would be a 75’ x 75’ x 6” concrete slab with a 60’ x 100’ metal pavilion on slab ($136,091.70). 
• A 12’x20’ Metal building with entry door and 10’ roll-up side-door on concrete slab ($26,000) for a total amount of $162,092, to be used by the police department; a multi-use fitness center, which would be a 40’x60’x10’ side-walled metal building to include all site work, slab, plumbing, and electric, with two ADA bathrooms, approximately 10’x10’, plus spray foam and insulation, gutters, an entry door, two 10’ roll-up side-doors with concrete approaches (5’x10’), heated and cooled. With eight windows, and concrete walkway from parking lot to door, plus exercise/weight equipment to outfit facility ($30,000) for a total cost of $510,000, for a facility to be used by the police department as well as other city employees
• The redesign/ reconstruction of Fire Station #3, with plans to reconfigure and enlarge staff quarters, living area, apparatus bay, storage and the driveway to accommodate the apparatus at a cost of $127,500 for design/engineering and $850,000 for construction, for a total cost of $977,500
• The purchase of an ambulance for $300,000 to replace an existing ambulance that has reached its life expectancy. 

Miscellaneous items 

The list of possible allocations also includes:

• $150,000 for broadband infrastructure improvements (specifically to allow the city to be part of a CTCOG-led broadband study); 
• $38,000 for the purchase of PPE for the Fire Department
• $16,392 worth of medical equipment including cardiac monitor, AED equipment and minor medical equipment
• A second wave of computer upgrades in the amount of $197,200. 
• The Boys and Girls Club of Central Texas requested $175,000 for the Phase 2 development of its Laura Street Campus, which would cover relocation utility connection and the furnishing of an 80’ x 24’ portable facility that would provide additional office, programmatic and teen-focused space; the construction of a new playground and related fencing and landscape architecture.
• Cove House Emergency Homeless Shelter requested $475,000 for the replacement of two of its existing houses with a six-plex to double its capacity and allow for continued operations.

After lengthy discussions, council members provided Haverlah with direction of which of the items they wanted to be a priority, with a majority consensus for the funding of two additional firefighter/paramedics to staff a fourth ambulance but also to fund two additional police officer positions. 

Currently, Copperas Cove Fire Department does not have the ability to staff a fourth ambulance and would need six additional firefighter/paramedics to fully staff each shift, as the ambulance requires two personnel at a time. The city already has a fourth ambulance, but it serves as a back-up ambulance or reserve ambulance. This allocation would fund two firefighter positions, which would only allow for one shift to be funded. 

Haverlah mentioned that this “essentially allows an ambulance to be staffed one-third of the year” but it could be one-third of the day, depending on council’s direction. Staffing a fourth ambulance has been a topic brought before the city council for years, with Fire Chief Michael Neujahr having come before the council during budget season numerous times. 

The addition of the two police officer positions ranked higher on the list of needs for the city, according to Haverlah. 

“After reviewing the eligible criteria for ARPA funds, there is the potential to fund those two positions with ARPA funds in two categories- one is a mental health component, the other is related to an increase in gun violence,” Haverlah said about the two police officer positions. “And in our community, looking historically at gun violence over the last couple of years, gun violence has increased in Copperas Cove, and you look at in most communities, gun violence has increased in most communities, as well, so that is a potential use.” 

Haverlah later said that this would cost approximately $154,000 for the two new officers. 

Council’s consensus  

Council members also gave overall consensus for using ARPA funds for the firearms range cover, the multi-use fitness center for staff, and the design/engineering for the redesign of Fire Station #3 but not the construction of said project. They also gave consensus in favor of the $150,000 towards broadband, the replacement of an existing ambulance, and the second half of computer upgrades. 

The council was also overwhelmingly in favor of the transition and implementation of a new records management system for the police department, the cost associated with this being approximately $70,000 and up to $100,000 for the CAD system for the records management system. 

Haverlah said that city staff will take into account the items that council members have expressed support for and create a priority list to bring back for action at a later meeting.

City council also appointed three members to the Library Advisory Board during their regular meeting. The three members will serve three-year terms. The new appointees are Tosha Habyan, Maureen Huston and John Gallen. 

City council approved increasing the Firefighter Sick Leave Accrual Rate from the current rate of 3.70 hours a pay period to 4.62 hours a pay period, at the recommendation of Jeff Davis, Director of Human Resources. 

The council also approved authorizing the city manager to execute a Professional Services Agreement with Utility Engineering Group (UEG) to design and provide other professional services for completing the Oak Hill Drive and Deer Flat Drive Reconstruction and Drainage Improvements Project, in the amount of $178,270. The project includes the reconstruction or rehabilitation of nearly 6,800 linear feet of Oak Hill Drive and Deer Flat Drive starting near 902 Oak Hill Drive and ending at the Oak Hill Drive cul-de-sac and the Deer Flat Drive turnaround. The proposed drainage improvements include acquiring additional right-of-way to install box culverts near the intersection of Oak Hill Drive and Deer Flat Drive as well as a new drainage channel. 

The city council also approved selecting Mekus Tanager, Inc. to prepare the Cemetery Master Plan for the Copperas Cove Municipal Cemetery. Mekus Tanger submitted a detailed proposal in the amount of $47,500.00 with travel expenses not to exceed $3,500.00.