LYNN — The city released a public survey Wednesday night to solicit questions and comments from residents and organizations about the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021.
City Councilor-at-Large and American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) liaison Brian Field said the survey is a collaborative effort between Mayor Jared Nicholson, the City Council and other city officials as part of the city’s ARPA-information website — LynnARPA.com — which launched on Jan. 21.
“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,” Field said. “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 more inclusive and we hope folks will make the effort to share their ideas with us.”
Nicholson said the survey will help to gather information on what residents want and questions they have about the funding.
“I’m excited to get this survey out to the residents of Lynn,” said Nicholson. “The 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.”
The online survey is accessible at LynnARPA.com. Residents, business owners and nonprofit organizations in the city can submit their priorities on the best way the ARPA funds can be used to benefit Lynn. The survey will be available from Feb. 9 to March 14.
The ARPA was enacted into law by President Joe Biden on March 11, 2021. The city will receive more than $75 million in ARPA funds over the next two years. Half of this funding was received on May 20, 2021, and the remaining half will be available in May 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 — such as disparities in health, education and housing.
To date, the city has dedicated $13.5 million to improving the air quality in its municipal-owned buildings by replacing and upgrading the HVAC systems throughout public buildings in Lynn. The city will use $500,000 to purchase rapid COVID antigen test kits and $3 million is being allocated to the Economic Development & Industrial Corporation of Lynn (EDIC/Lynn) for small-business relief grants.
The remaining $58 million will be dedicated toward initiatives and priorities which will be developed by the community through robust community engagement. Of this amount, $800,000 will be allocated for citywide translators to optimize community input and participation.
The city is expected to focus on public health, housing, food security, workforce development, entrepreneurship and small-business development, environmental health, environmental open spaces, behavioral health and mental health as focus areas for the funds.
Additional opportunities for community input will be available in the future on the city’s ARPA website.
