Groton ― Premium pay for first responders, small business grants, and outdoor electricity upgrades for the Bill Memorial Library are among the projects the city expects to fund with American Rescue Plan Act money.

The city is working to approve projects that will receive its $2.6 million in COVID-19 relief funds.

The City Council has taken the first step of approving a list of projects the city wants to fund with the $2.6 million. Each project, though, will need council approval, said Mayor Keith Hedrick.

The plan is to bring about $596,145 in proposed expenditures to a special Committee of the Whole meeting on Oct. 10 for approval, and then a subsequent Mayor & Council meeting, said Hedrick.

These projects include $4,000 for the Southeastern Connecticut Council of Governments; $3,000 for a “Post-Pandemic Facility Assessment and Optimization Study for staff/participant health, safety and flexibility” by The Arc Eastern Connecticut; about $26,372 to support Ledge Light Health District for its work during the COVID-19 pandemic; and about $25,000 for electricity upgrades for outdoor programming space at the Bill Memorial Library.

They further include $100,000 in grants to help small businesses mitigate costs incurred during the pandemic, such as improvements to facilitate social distancing; $48,000 in premium pay for fire employees; $88,500 in premium pay for police; and $31,000 in premium pay for other employees who worked in person during the pandemic, said Hedrick.

In addition, about $67,581 for the replacement of eight tasers and about $202,691 for the implementation of a new, upgraded record management system for the police department are proposed.

The city will continue to work on other requests for projects, which will be brought before the council for approval at future meetings, Hedrick said.

k.drelich@theday.com