February 9, 2022 |City of Lynn, COVID-19, From the Mayor, News

Public Input Sought to Guide City of Lynn ARPA Investment

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The City of Lynn has released a public survey to solicit input from city residents and organizations about the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA) funds awarded to the City. The online survey, available in five languages, will be open for approximately one month.

Councilor-At-Large Brian Field, the liaison for the City Council for ARPA funding said, “The Lynn City Council is excited to see the launch of the survey for ARPA funding. We feel it is important for every resident and every business owner in the city to participate. The recent launch of the LynnARPA.com website is a collaborative effort by the City Council, Mayor Nicholson and others to include the public in the decision-making process. Participation in the survey will make the process even that more inclusive and we hope folks will make the effort to share their ideas with us.”

The online survey, accessible at LynnARPA.com, residents, business owners and nonprofit organizations in the city can weigh in with their priorities on the best way ARPA funds can be used to benefit Lynn. The City will announce more options for public input to ensure all voices are heard. Additional opportunities for input will be posted on the City’s ARPA website.

“I’m excited to get this survey out to the residents of Lynn,” said Mayor Jared Nicholson. “This process will allow people to have a direct voice in how and where these funds are spent. This input will be invaluable to fully capitalize on this financial opportunity for Lynn to recover and rebuild from COVID-19.”

On March 11, 2021, President Biden signed the American Rescue Plan Act into law. The City will receive over $75 million in ARPA funds over the next two years. Half of this funding was received on May 20, 2021. The remaining half will be available in May of 2022. According to the federal guidelines, these funds must be used for projects that respond to the health crisis, support broadband access, improve water systems, support tourism, or address negative economic impacts for individuals, households, or businesses – specifically, addressing disparities in health, education, and housing.

To date, the city has dedicated $13.5 million to improving the air quality in our municipal-owned buildings by replacing and upgrading the HVAC systems throughout public buildings in Lynn. $500,000 is being directed to purchase rapid COVID antigen test kits and $3 million is being allocated to the Economic Development and Industrial Corporation of Lynn (EDIC) for small business relief grants. The remaining $58 million will be dedicated toward initiatives and priorities which will be developed by the community following through robust community engagement. In order to receive input from as many of the City’s diverse population as possible, $800,000 is being allocated for citywide translators.

This effort will identify the City’s most urgent needs in areas such as:

• Public Health
• Housing
• Food Security
• Workforce Development
• Entrepreneurship and Small Business Development
• Environmental Health & Open Space
• Behavioral & Mental Health

The survey will be available online until March 14, 2022. How would you spend these federal funds given to Lynn? Fill out the survey below. We thank you for your participation!

Click this link to download a printable PDF of the ARPA Community Outreach Presentation. You can also watch the City Council meeting this was presented at by clicking here.

The above press release was submitted to us by Mayor Jared Nicholson’s Office.