The intersection of Market Plaza and Madison Avenue is pictured on May 23 in Greenwood. Officials are planning to use federal relief funds to pay for the project. Daily Journal File Photo
Federal relief funds could be used to pay for portions of upcoming Greenwood road projects.
At the request of city officials, the Greenwood City Council is considering using funds from the American Rescue Plan Act to cover the costs for the Market Plaza improvement project and services for the Main Street improvement project. The ordinance that would authorize the use of about $2.5 million in funds was introduced during Monday’s city council meeting.
ARPA is a $1.9 trillion COVID-19 stimulus package that delivered direct financial relief to Americans and distributed billions to states to respond to the pandemic and to give to cities, towns and counties. Greenwood received just over $6.6 million in ARPA funds in 2021, with the requirement that it be contracted or committed by the end of this year. By the end of 2026, all of the funds must be spent, said Greg Wright, city controller.
For the latest request, city officials are asking for nearly $1.6 million of ARPA funds to be allocated to cover the professional services costs of updating Market Plaza. The project includes the full reconstruction of the road from the Pleasant Creek Bridge to Madison Avenue, the addition of sidewalks, a new storm sewer system and new street lights. Adjustments to the placement and number of parking spaces on the south side of the Walker Plaza shopping center are also planned. An exit from Walker Plaza to Market Plaza will be removed as well, plans show.
The construction project for the Market Plaza project would be funded with ARPA funds through a revenue replacement provision. Under the final guidelines for ARPA, communities that received less than $10 million in funds could claim revenue replacement up to that amount. This allows officials to use those funds for any legal purpose of the city, Wright said.
Officials have also asked for $228,445 of the relief funds to be used for right-of-way acquisition services for segments one and two of the Main Street project. Another $636,800 is planned to be used to hire a consultant for the design of segments three and four of the Main Street project, according to city documents.
The Main Street project will improve the Main Street corridor from Meridian Street to east of Interstate 65. The goal is to find ways to reduce congestion, create an attractive gateway and give a better first impression to visitors arriving from Interstate 65, city officials previously said.
The ARPA request involves the section of Main Street from Meridan Street to the Indy South Greenwood Airport. Plans are to widen Main Street, along with updating sidewalks, curbs and stormwater work, Wright said.
With the latest proposals, the city will have just under $500,000 of ARPA funds left to be allocated, he said. ARPA funds have been used for a variety of things over the last three years, including school safety grants, employee premium pay, fire department respiratory fit testers and cybersecurity, radio, security camera and storm siren upgrades.
A public hearing on the expenditures is set for July 1. The city council will likely take final action on the ordinance at the following meeting on July 15.
