(TNS) — 4 years after the introduction of American Rescue Plan Act funds, town of Helena spent its $8.4 million granted cash on shelters, repairs and a slew of inside initiatives.
Congress handed ARPA, a $1.9 trillion federal financial stimulus invoice, in 2021 to assist the nation’s restoration from the COVID-19 pandemic and recession. Cash was given to cities nationwide.
The official deadline to commit the cash handed Dec. 31, 2024. Cities had been allowed to obligate as much as $10 million in financial savings.
Helena dedicated all $8,486,620 it obtained to its Normal Fund, metropolis spokesperson Jake Garcin stated in an e-mail, claiming it as recovered misplaced income.
However as a result of all the cash was put into financial savings, it was in a position to be spent on metropolis and neighborhood initiatives.
Since then, $4.5 million has been spent on inside initiatives and $2.7 million was given to Helena companies and organizations, metropolis paperwork state.
Main choices about the place and the way cash was spent occurred at varied metropolis conferences, with the fee getting the ultimate say.
The remaining $1,118,800 remains to be within the Normal Fund, Garcin stated.
For neighborhood spending, town funded $2,781,100 in exterior initiatives, big chunks going towards housing and homelessness.
The biggest piece, $1.58 million, went to the Rocky Mountain Growth Council for the Our Redeemer’s Lutheran Church housing venture. The venture reportedly goals to construct 113 housing models.
ARPA additionally funded a Household Promise shelter, a Good Samaritan shelter, Helena Meals Share, and a downtown restroom, amongst different initiatives supporting Helena’s unsheltered.
As for the $4,586,720 spent internally, the largest venture was repairing Ten Mile Water Therapy Plant, receiving $1.8 million.
Different bills embrace changing Grandstreet Theatre’s roof, funding photo voltaic initiatives and bailing out neighborhood waterpark Final Probability Splash, which had a $200,000 finances deficit in 2023.
It additionally spent $750,000 on a pc aided dispatch and data administration system and almost half 1,000,000 on the Helena Civic Heart’s HVAC system.
One other half-million went to human assets and finance software program.
Lewis and Clark County met the Dec. 31 deadline. Its $13.5 million allocation went to 54 initiatives.
Christine Compton is a reporter for the Helena Impartial Report.
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