Knox County Board Announces $1.16 Million in First Round of ARPA Community Grants

Share

At its August 24 meeting, the Knox County Board voted to authorize $1.16 million dollars in fifteen grants to community organizations and companies in the first round of its Community Grant program. Approximately $556,000 remains to be allocated, and the County Board anticipates a further round of grants at its September 28 board meeting.

These community grants were made from the $9.4 million awarded to Knox County under the federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). To be eligible, projects needed to address one or more of the broad categories specified in the legislation: public health; negative economic impacts of the pandemic (including tourism); services to disproportionately impacted communities; and infrastructure (including broadband).

To comply with US Treasury Department regulations, all grants are awarded conditional on execution of a contract or inter-governmental agreement specifying the time-frame for expenditure of funds and documentation required by the County for its record-keeping. Knox County is currently moving forward with finalizing these agreements.

The Knox County Board created an advisory task force in May 2021 to assist it in identifying priorities for its allocation of ARPA funds. The task force, co-chaired by Board Chair Jared Hawkinson and Vice Chair David Amor and composed of Board members and community volunteers, recommended that $1.5 million of these funds should go toward direct community grants. The Community Grant Program was announced in April 2022, and 28 proposals were received with requests totaling $4.5 million. The task force reviewed all applications, conducted follow-up interviews, and presented its recommendations to the County Board Finance Committee in August, which then voted to recommend the final list of grants to the full County Board for authorization.

“I am pleased that the ARPA Task Force, which is composed of community members from throughout the county, were able to funnel these dollars back into the communities throughout the county and look forward to finalizing the remainder of the grant funding soon”, said Jared Hawkinson, Board Chairman.

“The COVID pandemic impacted every aspect of life in Knox County,” said Vice Chair David Amor, “and the wide range of projects proposed and funded I think reflects that fact. These grants will both help communities rebound from the negative economic effects and also better prepare us if, God forbid, we face another pandemic in the future. That’s exactly what the ARPA legislation was intended to do.”

Chairman Hawkinson and Vice Chair Amor would like to specifically identify and thank those members of the Task Force for continued support and participation. In addition to County Board members Darla Krejci (District 1), Bob Bondi (District 2), Pam Davidson (District 3), Todd Olinger (District 4) and Jeff Link (District 5), the advisory task force includes community members Thomas Schmidt and Laun Dunn of Galesburg, Joshua Gibb of Wataga, Hailey Weyhrich of Gilson, and Christine Brown of Williamsfield.

A copy of the full grant requests and awards thus far is available upon request; however, below are highlights of the current cycle.

The largest grant, $275,000, was made to the Knox County Fairgrounds, toward construction of a rural community center that can serve multiple functions as an emergency staging station and evacuation shelter in case of future pandemics or other natural disasters. In addition, $225,000 was awarded to the Abingdon Fire Department for an addition and renovations to its Abingdon fire station and St. Augustine substation.

Grants of $100,000 were made to the River Bend Food Bank, for cooler and freezer equipment for its regional distribution facility in Galesburg; to Family Planning Services, for clinic renovations and expansion of services; to Habitat for Humanity, for purchase of land and housing in Galesburg and the County for rehabilitation; to Discovery Depot, to recoup lost revenue due to the pandemic and specifically to bring in popular traveling exhibits; and to Oneida Telephone Exchange, in support of a project to install gigabit fiber optic cabling in the Foxtown area and rural Wataga.

A grant of $50,000 was awarded to the Galesburg Public Library Foundation, to continue funding for the library’s work skills development program; $35,000 to the Knoxville Fire Protection District for purchase of a new fire/EMS vehicle; and $30,000 to the Galesburg Tourism and Visitors Bureau to conduct market research to rebuild and expand tourism to Knox County.

Grants of $25,000 were made to the City of Galesburg toward its project expanding the multipurpose path around Lake Storey; and to BBWave LLC, to upgrade its fixed wireless broadband equipment to extend its reach from a 10 mile radius to a 25-mile radius and increase its download speed to 100 Mbps. Smaller grants of $15,000 were made to Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) to assist in volunteer recruitment; $5,000 to First United Methodist Church to obtain architectural plans for renovations to its pre-school; and $3,200 to the Elba-Salem Park District to recoup rental revenue lost due to the closing of its facilities during the COVID pandemic.

***Courtesy of the Knox County Clerk and Recorder***

Spread the word

Trending Now

Featured News Podcasts

Subscribe to our Community Newsletter

By submitting this form, you are consenting to receive marketing emails from: Prairie Communications, 55 Public Square, Monmouth, IL, 61462, https://977wmoi.com/. You can revoke your consent to receive emails at any time by using the SafeUnsubscribe® link, found at the bottom of every email. Emails are serviced by Constant Contact

Choose a Category

Continue Reading

Watch Out for Scams this Tax Season!

As another tax season has arrived, Monmouth Police Department Investigator Josh Kramer reminds taxpayers to be on the lookout for those IRS scam letters: “They will be claiming that you