Hartsburg and Ashland to receive final ARPA funding

By: Tara Blue
The Boone County Commission announced on April 30th the recipients of the second and final round of roughly $6.6 million in American Rescue Plan Act funding. More than 100 organizations applied for funds, with over $53 million sought between the applicants.

19 entities were chosen to receive second round funds and almost half were directed to infrastructure projects. The recipients from Southern Boone are the City of Ashland, awarded $290,000 for stormwater improvements, and the Village of Hartsburg, awarded $300,000 for sewer system compliance project.

“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.

The American Rescue Plan Act, 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.

The ARPA Act was signed into law March 11, 2021, and helped establish the Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds.

Josh Stotler of the Columbia Missourian contributed to this article