ARPA Update - September 2021

The City of Milford received many submissions for American Rescue Plan Act project ideas. We received submissions from municipal employees as well as City department heads for projects specific to their areas of expertise and the business they conduct daily. We received submissions from local partners and non-profit organizations that are Milford specific and submissions from those who have a nationwide reach. We received submissions from community members that address the needs of Milford from their point of view – as residents, as environmentalists, as parents of Milford children, as people concerned about the wellbeing of our vulnerable populations, and so many other unique perspectives.

Hundreds of project ideas came in for all six areas of focus:

• Support for the Public Health Response
• Addressing the Negative Economic Impacts of COVID-19
• Replacement of Lost Public Sector Revenue
• Water and Sewer Infrastructure
• Broadband Infrastructure
• Equity Focused Services

At this point, all submissions have been presented to the American Rescue Plan Act Working Group. The Working Group continues to act together to develop the most well-rounded plan that supports and benefits as much of our Milford community as possible. Our first step in the process is ensuring that individual projects would comply with ARPA guidelines and regulations. Next, we are cross checking the proposed ideas against available State and Federal grants to ensure there are no overlaps in funding, we are drafting full project proposals, and we are getting price estimates and timelines from qualified companies we are hoping to partner with.

There are a lot of moving parts in this process, but we are very eager to announce Milford’s ARPA Plan in more detail when it is finalized and handed off to the U.S. Treasury, on or before the October 31, 2021 deadline. We are excited to bring you an even more safe, even more beautiful, and even more efficient “Small City with a Big Heart”.