WEST LEBANON — Upper Valley officials are hopeful that the return of earmarks — pet projects meant to buttress lawmakers’ support for federal spending bills — will help pay for local infrastructure projects that might otherwise sit on the back burner for years.

New sidewalks in Lebanon, a multi-use path in Hanover and repairs to Claremont City Hall’s copper dome are just some of the funding requests submitted to the Twin State congressional delegations since the House revoked its decade-long ban on earmarks earlier this year.

Municipal managers say the new federal aid would save property taxpayers from costly bonds while advancing community goals.

For instance, a request to expand Lebanon’s network of sidewalks down Slayton Hill Road and through a section of Route 4 is in line with the city’s long-held efforts to increase pedestrian and bicycle access, according to City Manager Shaun Mulholland.

That section of sidewalk — estimated to cost $386,000 — “may not be the city’s biggest priority” but it would fill gaps in Lebanon’s existing network and pair well with other sidewalk building efforts already underway, he told the City Council last week.

A multi-use path that’s proposed for Hanover would fill similar needs, according to Town Manager Julia Griffin.

The path, estimated to cost $350,000, would start south of the Ray School, pass Dartmouth College’s rugby fields and head along Girl Brook south to the area of Verona Road.

When complete, it would connect several Hanover neighborhoods with the Ray and Richmond schools, and trails that lead to Storrs Pond.

“We’re ready to go with it very quickly,” Griffin said. “It’s something we would build ourselves without public works department crews if we get funding.”

The funding requests are part of an effort from the House Appropriations Committee to give each member of Congress the ability to nominate 10 community projects for inclusion in fiscal year 2022 appropriations bills.

U.S. Reps. Peter Welch, D-Vt., and Annie Kuster, D-N.H., both reached out to Upper Valley communities for ideas, with their final lists expected to be announced later this month.

While some municipalities asked for help with traditional infrastructure — such as roads and bridges — others seek help financing facility repairs and renovations.

Woodstock submitted two applications to Welch, according to Town Manager Bill Kerbin.

One would help pay for $2.8 million in upgrades to the South Woodstock wastewater treatment plant, while the other would contribute to the town’s $4.5 million renovation and expansion of its emergency services building.

Both projects were approved at Woodstock’s 2020 Town Meeting. Kerbin said he asked for the federal government to pick up 80% of costs.

“If we receive these grants both of those would be a great asset to the community and really help relieve the burden on the taxpayers,” Kerbin said.

Meanwhile, Claremont submitted a request to Kuster to help pay for about $800,000 in repairs to the copper dome atop City Hall.

City Manager Ed Morris said a 2018 architectural assessment of the building found the feature was thinning and deteriorating. In response, the officials planned to allocate $132,948 over six years into a capital reserve account to cover the cost of repairs.

Morris said he’s also been in touch with Kuster’s staff and hopes to include two road projects on her list, although he isn’t yet sure which ones.

The earmarks are just some of the infrastructure money that towns and cities are hoping to utilize as Democrats in Congress and the Biden administration look to increase spending on infrastructure.

Some of the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan Act, the most recent round of stimulus funding can go toward local government projects, while Biden has announced a $2 trillion infrastructure plan that also would assist local governments.

Peter Gregory, executive director of the Two Rivers-Ottauquechee Regional Commission, said the combination of potential funding amounts to “a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity” for infrastructure investment.

“There are a lot of funding sources out there right now and we’re going to try to help our towns position themselves to get projects that have been on the books, are needed, have been vetted and are publicly supported to actually be constructed,” he said.

“It’s not like they’re just throwing money around at wild ideas,” he said, adding that many of the potential projects are already on 10-year plans and, in some cases, shovel-ready.

Tim Camerato can be reached at tcamerato@vnews.com or 603-727-3223.