The City of Danville has received millions of dollars in American Rescue Plan Act funds to help recover from the pandemic. But so far there have been no decisions on how those funds will be spent.
The Three Kings of Peace, a local group that helps youth, wants some of the money to establish a mentoring center in the former Steel Grip building near Garfield Park. Reverend Frank McCullough addressed the Danville City Council’s Public Works committee last evening (Tuesday) then talked with our news department about their plans for the building…
{AUDIO: ”The vision that we have – that building will have 10 classrooms. It will have a dayroom, also a recreation room, and we’re looking at also putting in a skating area where young kids from twelve on down can learn how to skate. And then we have a physical fitness room. And adjacent to that we have what they call remote control racing.”}
Committee chairman Mike Puhr says some of the federal funds have already arrived….
{AUDIO: ”We have received about half of the 26-million (dollars). We have not yet set-up a committee or sub-committee to come up with a process for groups to apply for it. I think that’s a very important process that needs to be put in place soon. When we have aldermen, community leaders and different things come together (and) set some guidelines. Because we’ve been approached by a lot of groups trying to get a little bit of the pie.”}
One area suggested earlier for spending some of the money is for major improvements at the city’s municipal swimming pool….
{AUDIO: ”That project could end-up taking about half that money if we go through with it and not just re-build what we already have. But that’s something again that we as a council, and there’s the aldermen, have to look at and decide.”}
There are certain federal restrictions on how communities can spend the windfall. Decisions on how to spend it must be made by the end of 2024.
