Latest news with #AmericanRescuePlanAct
Yahoo
6 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Remodel or replace? Johnstown considers 'way overdue' options for nearly century-old Public Safety Building
JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – As the Johnstown Public Safety Building closes in on the centennial anniversary of its dedication, the structure appears headed toward one of two fates over the coming years. City officials expect to either rehabilitate the facility to make it a clean, modern and structurally sound home for the police and fire departments. Or the structure could be rejected, razed and replaced with a brand-new building somewhere else in the city. Johnstown City Council's ultimate decision about what to do will, in large part, come down to money. A rehab is estimated to cost $10 million or more. Constructing a new building would likely top $20 million. Right now, Johnstown has $5 million for the project – $2.5 million apiece in federal American Rescue Plan Act for COVID-19 pandemic relief money and in state Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program grant funding. 'One of the drawbacks we have there is the funding stack,' Johnstown City Manager Art Martynuska said. 'We have a little, but not enough to do even a remodel.' Public Safety Building | Downtown Johnstown Public Safety Building on Washington Street in downtown Johnstown on Thursday, June 12, 2025. The building, 401 Washington St., was constructed and equipped at an approximate cost of $500,000, according to a Johnstown Tribune article from 1926. Work was done throughout 1925 – the year carved in stone on the front of the building – and 1926. It was formally dedicated Dec. 16, 1926. Sine then, the building has served as home to the fire and police departments that have protected city and regional residents in day-to-day times of need and during major events such as the 1936 and 1977 floods. But the building is now in disrepair. In recent years, the city has done mold remediation, water-proofing of the basement with new drains and sump pumps, and HVAC improvements to make it 'a little bit of a safer facility,' as Martynuska said. 'That's what we've been doing – patching it,' Johnstown City Councilman Ricky Britt said. 'Patches here, patches there. After a while, you don't have anywhere to put a patch. You can only patch it so many times.' Britt said 'the old building has served its use' and 'that the project there is way overdue.' 'We've definitely got our usage out of it,' Britt said. 'Hopefully we find the proper location and come up with the right amount of funds to build a new building.' Britt is among a group of city officials who support a new structure. That would involve finding a site, possibly dealing with floodplain issues in the downtown, and likely needing to knock down the current building so it does not become yet another vacant property in the municipality. Others, including City Councilwoman Laura Huchel, favor upgrading and modernizing the existing structure. 'I feel and think, based on some contributions from the planning commission, that the Public Safety Building can be rehabbed and retrofitted to be exactly what Johnstown needs out of a public safety building,' Huchel said. 'It's a very large building. It's more than we need for our current staff, so there are some rental opportunities there if we make it a welcoming space. 'The expense of doing that, while significant, does not even approach the expense of creating a brand-new building and then being faced with needing to demolish the old one.'
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Johnstown mayoral candidates King, DeBartola bring opposing views to Central Park effort
JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – Whether to spend millions of dollars remodeling and modernizing Johnstown's Central Park is a question that exemplifies the city's differing political opinions, including for candidates in this year's mayoral race. Deputy Mayor the Rev. Sylvia King, the Democratic nominee, is part of the establishment that has promoted the project that will include installing new sidewalks, a pavilion for entertainment, monuments walkway, greenery and infrastructure upgrades. King recently voted in favor of a motion approving a final plan for the park that passed Johnstown City Council by a 6-1 vote. Republican Party mayoral candidate John DeBartola, who considers himself a political outsider, has used his platform on Revitalize Johnstown and in public forums to oppose the plan. The project, which is expected to cost between $6 million and $8 million, is being funded by American Rescue Plan Act money for COVID-19 pandemic relief. City Council approved putting the funds toward the park project from among the $30.7 million it received in ARPA money that it was awarded in 2021. 'The vast majority of the public opposes spending $8 million to completely redesign Central Park,' DeBartola said. 'The city could have used that money to remove blight in neighborhoods, build a new police station, or support a grocery store downtown. … It's a shame city leaders prioritized Central Park over the police, fire department or our neighborhoods.' DeBartola added: 'All the public wants is honest and fair leadership. The way the city has handled the Central Park project shows they have neither.' King pointed out that the city used ARPA funds in numerous ways, including programs for home repairs, home purchases, sewer assistance, stormwater upgrades, community neighborhood development, nonprofit assistance, food insecurity and the Frank J. Pasquerilla Conference Center. The money is also linked to the $8 million in the U.S. Department of Transportation's Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development grant (formerly Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity) for a streetscape in the Main Street corridor. 'The ARPA funds were used as leverage to complement the RAISE grant,' King said. 'Because they are leveraged funds, they are tied to specific projects which were outlined in the RAISE grant application – and therefore cannot be reallocated for other uses. The use of ARPA funds to invest in infrastructure projects supports the revitalization of downtown.' King said the proposed changes will, in her opinion, make Central Park 'more interactive' for visitors and easier for people using mobility aids to navigate, while helping boost the economy. 'Being able to invest in the infrastructure of the city is paramount,' King said. 'The changes being made will stimulate and motivate our local economy. Hopefully it will spark more entrepreneurship initiatives. There will be inconveniences along the way. We ask for your patience during these upgrades.' The RAISE (now BUILD) grant was awarded in 2021. 'After 4 years, the RAISE grant seems to be inching along,' DeBartola wrote in an email. 'The problem is that in those 4 years, the cost of building materials has skyrocketed. The inability to execute the grant has caused us to lose millions due to inflation.'
Yahoo
7 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Public pool reopened after closing last summer
SCRANTON, LACKAWANNA COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU)— After a public pool in Lackawanna County was closed last summer, it's back open this year with some renovations. The ribbon cutting was held at Connell Park pool in Scranton. The pool has been in the area since the 1970s and became dilapidated. The city allocated 1.1 million for the repairs, money that came out of the American Rescue Plan Act. 'In these past five years, we've been able to invest over $26 million in recreational facilities throughout the whole city. All of our neighborhoods from Connell pool here in southside to a cricket pitch in center city, all sorts of dog parks that are new, the pool facilities, the splash pads. There's something for everyone here in Scranton and we're excited to keep building on the amenities,' expressed mayor Paige Cognetti. Connell Park is one of three outdoor pools open this summer in the Electric City. The pool will officially open Saturday morning and will be open daily from noon to 6 p.m. through labor day. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
'It's a lifeline': Milwaukee County unveils new $32M Marcia P. Coggs Health & Human Services Center
Milwaukee County unveiled its new $32 million Marcia P. Coggs Health & Human Services Center in the near north side's King Park neighborhood June 13, creating a hub for essential services and upgrading access for residents across the county. Hundreds of members of Milwaukee's political elite, family members of the building's namesake and residents gathered to visit the new site at 1230 W. Cherry St. The center is now home to the Department of Health and Human Services and provides behavioral health programming; housing and energy assistance resources; child, family and veteran services; an on-site food pantry; and wraparound services for youth with complex needs. The center is already open for walk-ins, referrals, and scheduled appointments. 'It's more than a building. It's a lifeline,' Shakita LaGrant-McClain, the county's health and human services executive director, told the crowd. The 60,000-square-foot building, which is the first new county construction in or near Milwaukee's downtown since the Criminal Justice Facility in 1992, is a stone's throw from the county's Mental Health Emergency Center. It figures as another step toward the county's overarching commitment to ensure a "No Wrong Door" policy when it comes to residents accessing behavioral health services, regardless of age, gender, race or socioeconomic status. After receiving county approval in 2022, the project was funded by $32 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds. "This building represents the upstream investment in race and health equity for our entire community," Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley said. "We will become the healthiest county in Wisconsin." The building is named after Marcia P. Coggs, a trailblazing advocate for human needs who was the first African American woman elected to the Wisconsin state Assembly and the first Black person to sit on the state Legislature's Joint Finance Committee. "(The center) embodies her belief that public service is not paperwork, it's personal, and because of her vision, every child with an empty stomach, every parent in crisis and every senior in need will be filled with compassion and resources that they deserve right here' said Milwaukee County Supervisor Priscilla Coggs-Jones, the granddaughter of Marcia P. Coggs. In late 2022, the sudden closure of the original Coggs location at 6055 N. 64th St. by Karen Timberlake, then the secretary-designee of the state Department of Health Services, followed a monthslong tussle at the county to demolish and rebuild the center or relocate out of concerns for accessibility as well as lead and asbestos issues. The former building was known to many as the place to access services related to FoodShare, Medicaid and GoPass. The original building, which was a former department store built in the 1920s, was later tapped to be developed into 65 affordable apartments. This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee County unveils Marcia P. Coggs Health & Human Services Center
Axios
13-06-2025
- General
- Axios
Indy's new and improved park system
If you haven't hit a local trail or been to a pool in a while, there's a chance your favorite park has gotten a facelift since your last visit. Why it matters: A multiyear, multimillion-dollar plan to strengthen Indy's parks is bearing fruit across the Circle City this summer as new and improved facilities debut. State of play: Last month's grand opening of the Grassy Creek Environmental Community Center on the east side marks the end of the $45 million Circle City Forward initiative announced in 2021 to improve our parks. It also included the Riverside Adventure Park, which opened May 1; the Frederick Douglass Park Family Center, which opened in May 2024; the renovated Krannert Park Family Center, which opened in January 2024; and the Riverside Promenade, which opened in October 2023. Yes, but: Circle City Forward was just one piece of a more than $140 million parks investment puzzle that also includes the city's $16 million American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding and an $80 million Lilly Endowment grant to pay for improvements across 42 parks. Zoom in: The ARPA projects will transform 28 playgrounds in 26 parks by the end of this year. Seventeen of those projects are done. In addition, ARPA funding covered the cost of the Wes Montgomery Basketball Pavilion, which opened late last year. Lilly grant projects currently under construction include Tarkington Park, Holliday Park, Washington Park and Garfield Park. Stunning stat: The funding will allow Indy Parks and Recreation to replace more than 40% of the city's 132 playgrounds, according to Indy Parks spokesperson Alex Cortwright. Flashback: The city's post-pandemic push to make our parks better came years after falling to the bottom of the annual ParkScore Index rankings alongside Fort Wayne in 2017. The two cities have since opted out of participating in ParkScore, according to a spokesman for the Trust for Public Land, a pro-park nonprofit that compiles the rankings. While Indy isn't part of the rankings, the nonprofit's assessment of the city found that just 4% of its land is used for parks and recreation, well below the national median of 15%. Meanwhile, the nonprofit says, 35% of Indianapolis residents live within a 10-minute walk of one of our more than 220 parks. That's a far cry from the national average of 76% among the 100 most populous U.S. cities, and 57% among all urban communities. Between the lines: Cortwright said that scoring is affected in part by our city's history. Many of our parks were established before the " Unigov" legislation that merged city and county governments in 1970, expanding the city's territorial jurisdiction from 82 to 402 square miles. The majority of our parks are within the old city boundaries, he said. What they're saying: "That's where you see a lot of those empty areas, and where we're looking to establish more parks. That's why things like what we're working on in Decatur Township where we acquired some land last year are really so important," Cortwright said.
