TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTWO/WAWV)– The American Rescue Plan Act has been a major focus for Vigo County Officials for the past three years.
The county received $20 million in federal funding tied to the federal legislation– dollars that could go towards many different projects.
Now– about 99% of those dollars have been spent.
With an additional $1,875,000 in projects approved Tuesday by the Vigo County Council, the finish line is near– and council president Todd Thacker is mostly pleased with the results.
“It’s exciting we get to do it and see some of the good going into the community,” he said. “Secondly, it makes you think, ‘Could we have done things a little differently or addressed it better?’ There;s always some second thoughts that maybe you could’ve done a better job.”
The largest project approved went towards Thrive West Central, a $5 million investment towards housing. Infrastructure has been a significant focus for this money– earlier this year, over $3.5 million went towards bridge, culvert and drain improvements around the community.
Childcare has also been the focus of two large projects– on Tuesday, $1 million went towards a proposed facility on the east side of Terre Haute, which will be run by Chances and Services for Youth. In 2023, the council approved $3 million for expansion of the childcare center at Indiana State.
Another big beneficiary has been local county parks. Vigo Parks Superintendent Adam Grossman has been grateful for the opportunities provided by these dollars.
“It let projects happen that wouldn’t happen otherwise,” he said. “There’s always other things that have to happen, things that break and everyday maintenance on things that happen. This gave us an opportunity to look at those five and ten year plans and look at the needs of the community.”
It came at an opportune time for the parks department– Grossman said the pandemic helped people realize how important outdoor activity can be.
“I think everyone, during COVID, realized the benefit of outdoor recreational spaces and the ability to get outside and stay active and stay healthy,” he said. “A lot of these dollars will go towards getting these people outside.”
Thacker also thanked the county commissioners– who led the way developing many of these projects– for their work, especially during when guidelines were consistently changing.
“Rules were changing on ARPA, like how you could spend the money and what you can use it for,” Thacker said. “Those are the things that I think, knowing now and looking back, maybe we could’ve done things a little differently.”
Here is a full list of projects approved Tuesday.
- $400,000 for the Vigo County Juvenile Justice Center
- $300,000 for Vigo County Parks
- $75,000 for the Vigo County Fairgrounds
- $50,000 for the MANA From 7 foodbank
- $50,000 for a temporary holding cell in the courthouse
