‘Between a rock and a hard place’

Nearly a year ago, the Kemmerer and Diamondville Joint Powers Board applied for a federal grant through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). At that time, superintendent of the wastewater treatment plant Brent McClarnon said the water side was recommended for funding but not the wastewater side. McClarnon convinced the board to combine the two needed requests together.

The two combined grant applications asked for approximately $3.5 million but only $3 million was granted. Originally, they had planned to ask the State Loan and Investment Board (SLIB) for roughly $8 million in ARPA funds, but could not come up with the required 15% match needed.