By Jarret Liotta

WESTPORT — Choosing to put its ARPA money where its art is, the Representative Town Meeting unanimously approved a lump sum of $200,643 to fund various creative projects for 12 local nonprofit arts organizations.

While several RTM members had raised questions last week about the validity of some of the individual projects under consideration for forthcoming federal funds under the American Rescue Plan Act — and wondered about voting on each individually — representatives of the Westport Arts Advisory Committee spoke against this idea in a short summary at Tuesday night’s RTM meeting.

“We in the arts want to unite, not divide our community,” said Chair Nancy Diamond, noting that the WAAC was “vehemently opposed” to piecemeal approval.

Different Opinions

Member Lee Goldstein, who also chairs the Board of Education, said everyone is going to have a different opinion on which projects they prefer.

“That’s what we don’t want to get into … Personal preferences should not dictate what we’re funding,” she said.

“We stand together behind each and every one,” she said, with 12 of the town’s 16 art-related nonprofits having submitting a project to the committee.

While two RTM members recused themselves because of conflicts, only one — Seth Braunstein, District 6 — took time to explain some apprehension he felt with the allocation to the arts groups in relation to other nonprofits.

“My question is, Have we reached out to every nonprofit, so it’s just not the arts that are being advocated for … Have we reached out to nonprofits that cover things like homelessness, hunger, mental health, single mothers,” he said, as well as affordable housing.

“Frankly, that’s a major issue that the RTM has and will continue to spend a lot of time on as you work through your administration,” he told First Selectwoman Jennifer Tooker, who spoke in favor of the allocation and shared about the process of picking projects for ARPA funding.

Tooker said some of the $185,000 already approved under the social service label by the RTM in December was earmarked for other nonprofit programs, per the direction of the town’s Department of Human Services.

She also said $150,000 was to be sought for a feasibility study for a West Parish Road affording housing project on the site currently used for the state Department of Transportation’s garage on the Post Road East, just east of the Sherwood Island Connector.

Tooker, who said the money would go toward “accelerating the pre-construction phase,” said that land is going to be issued to the state’s Department of Housing and the project would be “100 percent” affordable housing.

“We have earmarked a couple hundred thousand for an electric ambulance,” Tooker also said, noting that it wasn’t yet available for purchase.

“I think there may be some other projects that may come up with other nonprofits,” she said.

$8.4 Million in ARPA Funds

The town is receiving $8.4 million in ARPA funds to virtually use at it sees fit, with the flexibility in use sanctioned by the federal government inherent in the first $10 million a municipality receives.

Tooker said the plans to use the money were partially formulated by former First Selectman Jim Marpe, and center mostly on expediting projects already on the town’s capital project list.

She called the funds “a way to essentially accelerate funding that we had already prioritized in our five-year forecast.”

Barbara Byrne, who serves on the board of Suzuki Music Schools, which is planning to use $20,000 for a community concert series, spoke in favor of the funding.

“The arts are a building block to a healthy society,” she said.