Pulaski Pool Bathhouse: 1 City of Poughkeepsie Project funded by the ARPA Money

If you live in the City of Poughkeepsie this is an important time. Yesterday (February 1. 2022) the City of Poughkeepsie released a Facebook post regarding the American Rescue Plan Act and some of their plans for the money the city is receiving as part of this program.

The purpose of the post was to share an article from apnews.com that mentioned the City of Poughkeepsie and some of their plans for the money. The post also shared a website where people who live in the city can visit in order to get a better understanding of the funds that are being received and where the money will hopefully be spent.

What is the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021?

The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) was signed into law last March. It is a $1.9 trillion plan that contains $350 billion for emergency funding that is to be distributed to state, local, territorial, and tribal governments to help with rising costs and falling revenue. The City of Poughkeepsie received $20.8 million total according to the website they shared in yesterday's post.

So What Will the City of Poughkeepsie do with the Money?

According to their Facebook post, the relief money cannot be used by the city to relieve its debt, which pre-pandemic was about $7 million, and in 2020 the city reported a $4.5 million dollar loss under what they refer to as the Treasury Department's formula. Due to the deficit, there hasn't been extra money for much-needed projects in the community such as the Pulaski Pool Bathhouse which was mentioned in the AP News article.

The City of Poughkeepsie Wants Your Input

The city has put together a website that is going to track all of the progress on the use of the ARPA money. They have proposed funding for many projects in the city which includes the Pulaski Pool Bathhouse, renovations at the Spratt Pool, and other Park renovations. The City of Poughkeepsie is looking for folks to log onto the website they set up and give their input on other ways the money can benefit the community. They also want people to see where the money is going to be used.

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