The City of Greenville is receiving almost $25 million dollars in recovery funding to address the economic impact of COVID-19 on the community. PRE’s Meredith Radford reports that city leaders are seeking public feedback on spending ideas.
The funding from the American Rescue Plan Act can be used locally for things like supporting public health response, addressing negative economic impacts or broadband infrastructure. Greenville Public Information Officer Brock Letchworth says this type of revenue happens once in a generation.
“The idea was to try to do something that, while working on infrastructure and those types of things, to also try to do something that would have an impact on enhancing the entertainment and recreational opportunities in Greenville that would not only benefit the residents of Greenville but also do more to bring people to the city.”
The proposal includes grants to small businesses, street improvements and pay to city employees for pandemic work, however the majority of the funding — about 91%— would go toward entertainment and recreational enhancements.
Letchworth says these proposals are not final. The federal deadline to appropriate the funding is at the end of 2024 and the deadline to spend it is at the end of 2026. Residents of Greenville can review the proposal and submit feedback online. The first of three input sessions will take place virtually on Thursday (Sept. 30) from 5 to 7 p.m. For Public Radio East, I'm Meredith Radford.
For more information on the proposal and input sessions, you can visit ARPA.greenvillenc.gov.
