VBT board approves agreement with Wayne Co. for $4.5 million

At a special, 19-minute meeting Monday, Aug. 1, the Van Buren Township Board of Trustees approved the Subrecipient Agreement with Wayne County for $4.5 million in ARPA funds for the Community Center project.
These are the federal American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 – State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds being dispersed by the county. The township is seeking Wayne County Commission approval through Oct. 31, 2025.
Wayne County Commissioner Al Haidous was present at the meeting and he praised the successful relationship of the county with Van Buren Township and Supervisor McNamara.
He said now the grant will be voted on in a committee and recommended to the full county commission. He said when McNamara was commissioner he wouldn’t settle for less than a 15-0 vote.
“More than eight,” McNamara agreed, smiling.
Commissioner Haidous said he estimated it would take about three to four weeks to complete the process because the committee meets every other week. Then it would go to the full commission.
McNamara pointed out that Haidous chairs the committee. McNamara said he was thankful to County Executive Warren Evans and his staff.
McNamara indicated he would attend the committee meeting and Haidous said that wouldn’t be necessary but it would be a good thing to thank the commission, to get ready for the next project.
McNamara said they can prepare a Welcome Basket for commissioners with corn from Treasurer Sharry Budd’s farm.
He said the township already got a $3 million grant, but this new grant through Wayne County has a lot more stipulations. He said of the $350 million total of the ARPA money, there was only $53 million for community improvement.
“The worst thing you can have is to have the federal government come back and tell you you need to pay the money back,” McNamara said.
Haidous related an incident when he was mayor of Wayne when they got $14 million for the sewage system. He said when they audited it, they said it wasn’t used right, technically. Haidous said the city changed its sewage system and there was no more flooding.
Haidous said the federal representative said he could go to jail. He recalls telling them, “If you put me in jail for fixing my community … I’ll become a hero.” He said the request for repayment was finally dropped.
McNamara said with a good attorney a lot of such problems are dismissed.
But, he said, he is warning them that there are catches involved.
He said the money needs to be spent by the end of 2023 and he was corrected that it needs to be spent by the end of 2024.
After the board voted unanimously to approve the agreement with the county, McNamara said to Haidous, “Go get us that grant.”
McNamara said he was a little worried a week ago when all they had was a verbal commitment.
At the end of the meeting, Clerk Leon Wright said he had been concerned that people weren’t returning their absentee ballots, but they received 700 that day, so he feels they may get close to the usual 90% return for absentee ballots.
He said some wanted to get ballots for shut-ins, earlier that day, and they can’t do it that way the day before the election, so he and others had to go out to see them in person. He said one person who was supposedly unable to come into the township hall to vote, jumped off the porch and ran to them when they brought the ballot.
Trustee Reggie Miller was absent from the special meeting.