The park’s construction was funded through federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) dollars, but its long-term management and maintenance will be supported by the endowment fund. A $5 million goal was set for the fund, and it is currently about 82% of the way there.
Allen County Commissioners are advertising to receive qualifications for design professional services for the building that will house non-judicial county offices. The property is currently owned by the Allen County Port Authority. ARPA funds will be used to fund the projects and the design professional will take all the county's needs for the space into account to see what is needed for the project.
ALLEN COUNTY, OH (WLIO) - Allen County Commissioners moving forward on a project to find a new home for some county offices.
The county received a little more than 19-million dollars in "ARPA" funds. They have contracted with a firm that specializes in what the American Rescue dollars can be used for. The county already approving projects such as scanning of documents in several departments, partitions being installed, and COVID test kits purchased for county employees. They are now looking into the possibility of using "ARPA" dollars to improve the efficiency of doing county business.
The Allen County Land Bank met with the Allen County Commissioners to talk about their proposal. They are requesting a half a million dollars the American Rescue Plan Act fund for the program. The federal government identified residential areas in parts of Lima where the Coronavirus had a more financial impact and said the ARPA funds could qualify to help with roof repairs, plumbing work, and new windows.
They have been meeting to process requests for the federal "ARPA" dollars. The American Rescue Plan has supplied the county with 19.8-million dollars to pay for projects that can be traced back to COVID-19. The commissioners have been getting requests from most of the county departments. Once they get a request specific steps are taken.
This past spring, the city administration held Community Engagement Meetings, conducted online surveys and took email recommendations from citizens and business leaders about where they would like to see that money go. Some of the areas in the proposal include $1.5 million for the demolition of blighted homes, over $3 million to improve housing, $6 million for job creation and economic development, and $7 million to help with revenue recovery for Lima's operation budget.
Council voted to change the Department of Community Development to the Department of Housing and Neighborhoods, plus create a deputy director position for that department. Council also approved 5th ward councilman Jamie Dixon to be the council representative on the newly formed Community Improvement Corporation, which will also deal with housing issues in Lima. Council voted to create a Workforce and Small Business Development Director and a Communication and Public Information Officer.
Commissioners are moving ahead with a process of determining projects that can be funded by “ARPA” dollars. The final document released by the U.S. Treasury is more than 400 pages long with 4 specific areas that are designated as areas funding can be used. Commissioners want to take a deeper look at departments that could qualify for the money and how best to use it.
The United States Treasury Department gave their final ruling on ARPA funding last Friday and commissioners are scheduling meetings to determine where that money can be used. The county already has 9-million dollars on the books of the 19-million they’re scheduled to get but wasn’t sure how it could be spent.
