Our community received a collective $56.7 million in ARPA funds for use in COVID-19 recovery efforts. These funds from the federal government were designated for use, by the U.S. Department of Treasury, in the following eligible areas:
In addition to funding households, small businesses and schools, the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) provides relief funds to state, local and tribal governments that have been negatively impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. These funds can be used by governments to respond to the public health and economic emergency, provide premium pay to essential workers, replace revenue lost due to the pandemic, and make necessary investments in water, sewer and broadband infrastructure. Eligible units of government were allocated ARPA funds based on a methodology created and implemented by the U.S. Treasury.
When the final rule for the program was released in 2022, Vigo County and the City of Terre Haute began a collaborative process to evaluate potential uses of the funds and create individual plans of action, which were presented respectively to the City and County Councils. Upon approval of the overall plans, individual project stakeholders were invited to present to the Council(s) to request an appropriation of ARPA funds for their project.
New hotels at Seventh Street and Wabash Avenue came closer to fruition Wednesday when the Terre Haute Redevelopment Commission voted to authorize the solicitation of offers for property there.
The Vigo County Council approved the expenditure of American Rescue Plan Act funding for a variety of projects Tuesday, the largest being $1 million for Chances and Services for Youth.
Working together with the Vigo County Council, the Vigo County Commissioners were able to allocate $500,000 of ARPA funds to Rose-Hulman, aiding in other grant opportunities. This initial investment has led to a significant nearly $200 million project that combines engineering and surgical services.