Hartsburg accepts ARPA grant from County

Trustees Bruce Begemann, Tim Hentz, and Mayor Bill Molendorp accept ARPA funds from County Commissioners Kip Kendrick and Justin Aldred

By: Tara Blue
On Thursday, Aug. 29th, the Boone County Commission officially awarded $300,000 to the Village of Hartsburg Board of Trustees for their sewer system compliance project. Hartsburg was chosen in the second and final round of roughly $6.6 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding in April. More than 100 organizations applied for funds, with over $53 million sought between the applicants. The commission chose 19 entities to receive second round funds and almost half were directed to infrastructure projects.

“We wanted to make sure that the projects can make lasting change,” said Kip Kendrick, presiding commissioner for Boone County. “And that any project that was funded was a path toward sustainability.”

The focuses of the funding were directed towards infrastructure, housing & homelessness, public health, and workforce development. The first round of funding was announced in July 2023 and awarded $11.6 million dollars to 27 organizations, including the Ashland Optimist Club and the Southern Boone Schools.

ARPA, more commonly known as the COVID-19 Stimulus Package or American Rescue Act, provides direct funding to all cities, towns, and villages in the U.S., to help with recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. ARPA was signed into law March 11, 2021, and helped establish the Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds.