The city and county have decided how to spend more than $74 million in American Rescue Plan funds, with more than $10 million still to be allocated.
The following are the projects that the city of Montgomery and Montgomery County have decided to support:
- YMCA upgrades (soccer): $6.2 million
- Calmar Community Center: $790,000
- Broadband study: $191,000
- Supporting local trail systems: $5 million
- Countywide camera system: $3 million
- Community center upgrades: About $12.5 million
- Violent crime programming: About $1.8 million
- Emergency services in unincorporated areas: $1 million
- Jackson Hospital: $2 million
- Baptist Hospital: $2 million
- Homelessness and food insecurity: $2 million
- Kershaw YMCA: $2 million
- Sewer updates: $17 million
- Domestic violence and child abuse consortium: $1 million
- Sewer engineer action plan: $350,000
- Critical home repair and septic replacement: $3 million
- Small business support: $5 million
- Hospital-based violence intervention: $2 million
- Body-worn cameras and license plate readers for the county: $1.6 million
- Body-worn cameras for the city: $1.6 million
- Carastar capital improvements and programming: $5 million
Carastar used their funds to establish a crisis stabilization program that assists people experiencing a mental health crisis. The group received initial funding as well as $7 million per year from the state. However, Executive Director Donna Leslie stated that it was insufficient in light of the escalating supply-chain expenses associated with the pandemic.
“There was just a lot of support from so many different people in the community who I think it would not have happened without that, without the community support and the spirit of why we’re doing this and why this is so important to us,” Leslie said.
The YMCA on Brown Springs Road upgraded its fields and courts with ARPA funds totaling $6.2 million. Last month, the nonprofit broke ground on the project.
The funds will be used to replace three fields’ synthetic turf as well as a wheelchair-accessible multipurpose acrylic court at the Emory Folmar YMCA Soccer Complex. According to Manny Sanchez of the YMCA, the acrylic court will contain both soccer and basketball goals.
A full-sized soccer field with football markings will be included in the project, allowing children to play both soccer and football. It will also replace the turf in the indoor arena.
Four new locker rooms with changing areas for 24 players each, as well as showers and bathrooms, are planned.
County Chairman Doug Singleton stated that the $3 million provided for necessary house repair and septic replacement will help individuals stay in their homes.
For the next three years, the county intends to renovate between 35 and 50 residences per year. There is enough money to renovate up to 150 dwellings.
People will need to apply for the upgrades. According to Singleton, doing so will help to improve the “health, safety, and welfare of the community.”
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