GREENFIELD – City officials met Tuesday to determine how to spend the remaining $438,000 it received from a COVID-related federal relief program in 2022.
Park enhancements, bridge reconstruction and senior services are things targeted for funding, in addition to money to support a local nonprofit.
The American Rescue Plan Act, which was created in March 2021, guaranteed direct funding to all cities, towns and villages in the United States.
The City of Greenfield was allocated $5,213,783.54 in federal relief funds in August 2022.
It has since spent the majority of those funds, the bulk of which went towards road, street and transportation infrastructure, along with replacing revenue lost during the COVID-19 pandemic. The city has also granted $300,000 in ARPA funds to local nonprofits.
The U.S. Department of the Treasury, which oversees the ARPA program, requires that all funds be earmarked for specific non-recurring expenses by the end of 2024 and spent by the end of 2026.
Greenfield’s clerk-treasurer, Lori Elmore, shared that six members of the city’s ARPA committee met Tuesday to address how the remaining funds would be spent.
On Wednesday the city council passed an ordinance re-allocating the remaining funds, amending a previous ordinance from December 2022 which outlined planned expenditures.
Following is a breakdown of this week’s amendment:
*$150,000 to Hancock County Senior Services for the expenses and maintenance costs associated with its RIDE Hancock transportation program. That allocation was in addition to the $300,000 in ARPA funds the city had already granted to local nonprofits, including the Hancock County Food Pantry, Kenneth Butler Memorial Soup Kitchen, Regreening Greenfield and Love, Inc.
*$116,962.14 for the reconstruction of a pedestrian bridge that crosses over Brandywine Creek on East McKenzie Road, in addition to other repair and construction work to sidewalks and trails the city has identified as in need of repair.
*$171,000 for park enhancements, including the engineering and design work to reconstruct two bridges in Riley Park, and the landscaping and patio design of the newly constructed Riley Park Shelter House, among other items.
This amount is being added to the $475,000 in ARPA funds already allocated to the city’s parks department, bringing the total amount to $646,000.
Elmore commended the city’s ARPA committee for working diligently to determine how to best spend the last of Greenfield’s COVID relief dollars as the federal deadline approaches.
“These are funds that could have taken us years to accumulate, and have enabled the city to accomplish things that will benefit the community and citizens of Greenfield in every way,” she said.