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TOP STORY OF THE DAY - Clay County Commissioners distribute ARPA funds
On Thursday, Clay County Commissioners held a special meeting to disperse the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds, which included numerous local nonprofit foundations.
The American Rescue Plan, often referred to as ARPA, the COVID-19 stimulus package, or Biden Bucks, was initiated to alleviate the financial strain created by the COVID-19 pandemic on local governments.
Clay County received just over $5 million in 2021, and as Clay County Commissioner President Marty Heffner explained, it was less fun than he had envisioned.
"When it first came out, there were a lot of restrictions, so many rules, regulations. If you didn't follow everything to the T, they'd take the money back," said Heffner. "You would think to spend over five million dollars of someone else's money would be fun, right?"
Heffner says it's a relief to have this daunting task behind them and looks forward to seeing the funds benefit the community.
"We wanted to make sure we got the money to places it would be used for the next generation; we didn't want it to be a one-shot and done thing," explained Heffner. "It was a painstaking process."
Projects for the county included bringing broadband to underserved areas, purchasing automatic CPR machines for county ambulances, and preserving the infrastructure of roads.
The local nonprofits that received funds included:
Clay County Historical Society (Vickie Mace) - $50,000.00
Clay County Humane Society (Amy Dierdorff) - $150,000.00
Clay County Genealogy Society (Pat Wilkinson and Toni Tucker) - $100,000.00
Bowling Green Volunteer Fire Department (Richard Jones) - $50,000.00
Center Point Volunteer Fire Department (Dustin True) - $50,000.00
Dick Johnson Volunteer Fire Department (Jeremy Snow and Robert James) - $50,000.00
Harrison Township/Clay City Volunteer Fire Department (Keith Grassick) - $50,000.00
Perry Township/Cory Volunteer Fire Department (Shane Wiram and Glen Neiswinger) - $50,000.00
Air Evac Lifeteam (Andy Yenchocic) - $21,600.00 ($4,500.00 from general fund)
Clay County 4-H (Adam Evinger) - $200,000.00
Community Theatre of Clay County (Lee Reberger and Ashlee Vitz) - $25,000.00
