The Plymouth Common Council approved a resolution Monday evening adopting a plan for the expenditures of the American Rescue Plan Funds they received.
A committee was created to discuss ideas for the use of the ARPA funds. Members include Councilmen Don Ecker, Jeff Houin, and Greg Compton along with Mayor Mark Senter and Clerk-Treasurer Lynn Gorski.
After a motion to adopt the plan by Councilman Houin was seconded by Councilman Ecker, committee members discussed the process and results. Houin commended both Council Ecker and Compton on the good conversations and realized pretty early they had a good consensus of priorities of the council that had been previously discussed.
Councilman Ecker said the plan incorporates some of the projects that have requested funding assistance as Blue Zones and the Lifelong Learning Network. He said, “Just as important, we were able to utilize these funds for the needs of the city.” He mentioned a new fire truck and, sidewalks.
Councilman Greg Compton spoke about the investment of the community’s future with funds assisting the Lifelong Learning Network and the addition and improvements to sidewalks. He said the funds are invested in the future of the city’s tax base.
The plan features several different uses for the funds. $400,000 will support the design and construction of the solar field installation of up to 2,880 panels at the Plymouth Wastewater Treatment Plan on Oakhill Avenue. The plan includes $175,000 for the Marshall County Crossroads Regional Planning Team’s and Marshall County Community Foundation’s Blue Zones public health initiative. The remaining $345,000 pledged to the Blue Zone project will need to be budgeted each year until they reach the $520,000 pledge amount.
The city’s ARPA Fund Plan included $600,000 in support for the Lifelong Learning Network’s Marshall County Career Innovation Center and $450,000 toward the purchase of a new Pierce Velocity Top Mount Pumper and associated equipment and a new ambulance box that will be mounted on a 2023 Ram 5500 chassis and the associated equipment.
Also included in the city’s plan is $200,000 in support for the design and construction of the city’s Harrison Street Trail project and $432,926.69 for the design and construction of new sidewalks and the repair and or replacement of existing sidewalks.
The Plymouth City Council unanimously approved the plan for using the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds. The total amount pledged in the plan was $2,257,926.69. The total amount the City of Plymouth received in ARPA funding was $2,257,926.69.
