Moore gives 1st public update on ARP plans

Oct. 27—Kokomo Mayor Tyler Moore offered a glimpse into the city's plan for spending some of its nearly $20 million in American Rescue Plan money.

The mayor spoke at Monday's Kokomo City Council meeting, providing the council and the public some details on projects the city is targeting with ARP money. The projects detailed were largely infrastructure projects, particularly water and sewer infrastructure projects, and totaled around $11 million.

The projects mentioned include:

Hotel and Conference Center infrastructure, $3 million: Moore said the downtown hotel and conference center is on the "top of the list" of projects the city plans on using ARP money for.

Specifically, Moore said the city has currently earmarked $3 million of ARP funds to go toward the conference center's wastewater infrastructure.

As previously reported by the Tribune, the hotel and conference center project has come full circle, with the project's original developer, Dora Hotel Company, back as the "preferred developer." The private developer will be on the hook for developing the hotel, while public money will go toward development of the adjacent conference center.

Moore reiterated Monday that the project has not yet been finalized, but that the city remains hopeful it will be soon, allowing for the development to break ground next year.

Revenue Replacement, $3.6 million: One of the provisions allowed in the ARP is for governments to use the allotted money toward replacing lost revenue caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Moore said the City Controller's office looked at the city's finances throughout the pandemic and came up with a "rough estimate" of $3.6 million that ARP can be used for revenue replacement.

Industrial park infrastructure, $3 million: The city is also earmarking $3 million for wastewater infrastructure at the proposed industrial park site located on the north side of the city near Stellantis' Indiana Transmission Plant and soon-to-be Kokomo Engine Plant and U.S. 31.

"There's a pretty high sticker being assessed or proposed for the infrastructure for the (industrial) park, so having the opportunity to use these ARP for that ..." Moore said.

As previously reported by the Tribune, the city, county and Greater Kokomo Economic Development Alliance are targeting more than 700 acres of land for the shovel-ready industrial park. That said, a smaller piece of the whole pie is currently the focus as the city, county and Alliance are close to securing 142 acres of land adjacent to Indiana 931 and just south of County Road East 300 North as part of "Phase 1" of the project.

Ivy Tech Industry 4.0, $700,000: In September, both the city and county announced donations to Ivy Tech Kokomo toward the community college's Invest IN Ivy Tech campaign, which aims to raise a collective $285 million for the 19 community college campuses across the state.

The $285 million will help Ivy Tech build out its expansion space in the Health Professions Center for its new Smart Manufacturing and Digital Integration program. The program is meant to prepare students for the Industry 4.0 workforce and give them the skills needed by local manufacturers.

Industry 4.0, also referred to as the Fourth Industrial Revolution, is what is happening in many manufacturing facilities — automation, integration of smart technology, robots and 3D printing.

The city of Kokomo pledged $700,000, which will go toward the construction of a manufacturing cell that is similar to what a student would work on in an actual facility.

Lighting at Jackson Morrow Park, $281,000: Kokomo's largest notable parks will see some improvements thanks to ARP funds.

Moore said the city has earmarked money toward new lighting along the walking trail in the 100-acre park. Moore said Torrey Roe, superintendent for the Kokomo Parks and Recreation Department, has received a few quotes for the new lights and they've come back at around $281,000.

Flooding mitigation on Boulevard, $562,500: The city plans on addressing the flooding issue at Boulevard Avenue between the two Stellantis plants, hopefully with the help of the State Water Infrastructure (SWIF) grant and local ARP money.

Moore said the city applied for a $562,000 grant toward the project that he said has "plagued the community for a number of years."

It's not a guarantee that the city will receive the grant as the new program — started this year by the General Assembly with federal COVID relief money — has seen high demand from communities and utility companies across the state.

According to the Indiana Finance Authority, the grant program was allocated $100 million to assist in funding wastewater, drinking water and stormwater projects, with half of that allocated to be doled out this calendar year.

The IFA received almost 500 applications requesting more than $700 million in assistance.

The city received a total of $19,893,216 in ARP money. It has until Dec. 31, 2024, to allocate the funds to a specific project and all funds must be spent and all work completed by Dec. 31, 2026.

Unlike the county, the city administration has decided not to list all at once its ARP projects as it wants flexibility as priorities and projects and their costs potentially change.

The decision drew criticism from some on the City Council, including Councilwoman Kara Kitts-McKibben and Councilman Jason Acord, who both wanted the city to follow in the county's footsteps and publicly release a plan for how it was going to spend ARP funds.

The Moore administration struck a compromise with the council, vowing to give periodic ARP project updates at council meetings and to hold personal meetings with a handful of council members every two weeks to give updates and to seek advice for potential projects.

Tyler Juranovich can be reached at 765-454-8577, by email at tyler.juranovich@kokomotribune.com or on Twitter at @tylerjuranovich.