OLIVE TWP., MI (WHTC-AM/FM, Nov. 23, 2022) – The Ottawa County Board of Commissioners distributed around $57 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds during Tuesday’s biweekly meeting, but not without some contentiousness.
A total of 22 proposals were approved by the panel, with the biggest amount of $10 million going to Housing Next to establish an affordable housing revolving loan fund. An effort by the Outdoor Discovery Center Network, the Ottawa Area Intermediate School District and local businesses for expanding childcare and early childhood learning centers is getting $7.5 million, depending on a review of federal guidelines. Other projects receiving over $1 million include Dwelling Place for building First Hope at 10th Street apartments in downtown Holland, the Ottawa County Parks and Recreation Department for the 24-mile Idema Explorers Trail that connects Grand Haven with Grand Rapids, as well as for improvements to Ottawa Sands Park, Samaritas Affordable Living of Spring Lake, the Ottawa County Prosecutor’s Office for a crime victims’ assistance fund, the Ottawa County Department of Public Health for medicaid cost-based reimbursements, and the Ottawa County Agricultural Preservation Board for accelerating farmland protection.
The lengthy board meeting turned into some debates over whether the current panel should have made these decisions before a new set of commissioners, some of whom were elected by a group called Ottawa Impact, assumed their seats at the first of the year. Former Board Chairman Roger Bergman, along with current chair Matt Fenske, were appreciative of the effort by a committee tasked with determining how the ARPA funds would be spent.
Only Bergman, Doug Zylstra and Kyle Terpstra will be holdovers when a new Ottawa County Board begins work in January.
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