Editorial: Van Buren Twp., City of Belleville get ARPA contracts

On Monday, Aug. 1, both Van Buren Township and the City of Belleville approved signing individual agreements with Wayne County as a step to getting federal funds available to them. These are the ARPA funds: American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 – State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds.
Van Buren Township previously was alerted by Supervisor McNamara that $4.5 million was coming. He quoted a verbal commitment by county officials and said as soon as the agreement was available he would set a special meeting to sign it.
He got the agreement and on Monday the special meeting was held to sign it, with that the only business item on the agenda. The regular VBT meeting Aug. 2 had been cancelled due to the election.
These funds will be used for the Community Center construction and upgrade of the Senior Center, a project that grew from $7 million to almost $17 million. ARPA will help a lot.
Belleville, too, had been alerted that its ARPA funds were coming and the council approved signing the agreement with the county on Monday. This is for $176,800 to upgrade Victory Station and exterior landscape items in the park. That total project is $272,000, so ARPA is needed.
The final step for the grants is for the county commission’s subcommittee to recommend the grants to the commission and for the commission to approve them.