Town receives covid relief funds from Plymouth County Commissioners

Apr 30, 2021

Wareham’s finances got a boost today, as officials were given a check for $432,930.86 in covid-relief funds from the Plymouth County Commissioners.

This was the second payment from the County Commissioners, who are dispersing federal CARES act funds to town throughout the county.

The funds will cover expenditures the town already made on covid-related expenses including for personal protective equipment, including many N95 masks, and on Chromebooks used by students. Every student in Wareham in second grade through seniors in high school uses a school-provided Chromebook — tools that were especially vital while students attended school remotely. 

Thomas O’Brien, the county’s treasurer, praised Wareham officials for their work taking care of the community throughout the pandemic.

“The real challenge is in each individual community which has to take care of residents and implement regulations,” O’Brien said. 

O’Brien said Wareham’s officials have “done a fantastic job getting resources,” and thanked state and federal level representatives for their work during the pandemic.

Plymouth County Commissioner Jared Valanzola said that he hoped the county’s disbursement of the funds offered a “glimmer of hope” for communities. 

Valanzola noted that the county was able to distribute funds while using only one percent of those funds for administrative costs. That figure, he said, is typically closer to five to seven percent. Keeping administrative costs low means “more money for towns,” Valanzola said.

Alan Slavin said that the town’s applications for funds wouldn’t be as successful without the hard work of people including Town Administrator Derek Sullivan.

So far, the county has given Wareham a total of $562,577.85, and officials expect Wareham to apply for and receive more funds through the program.

In total, the county had disbursed $29,499,677 to cities and towns in the county as of April 8.

For more information about the program, go to www.PlymouthCountyCares.com.