More than a third of Bangor’s pandemic relief funding awards — nearly $7.5 million — hadn’t been used yet as of the end of June.
That money has all been allocated to projects within the city or its nonprofits, but nine projects remain that haven’t spent down their funds, according to a memo from City Manager Carollynn Lear to the city council’s government operations committee.
Awardees are down to the wire to use their money after the city held onto most of its American Rescue Plan Act funds, commonly known as ARPA funds, for two years before considering applications for how to use it. The money must be spent by the end of the year, otherwise the city will have to return it to the federal government.
The city started to receive its nearly $20.5 million in ARPA funds in 2021. The money, distributed to state and local governments under a law passed during the Biden administration, was intended to offset the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on government services and local economies.
The majority of the unspent funds are dedicated to city projects, including nearly $2 million each for wastewater infrastructure improvements and for the Grandview Avenue housing project that was approved by the planning board last month, as well as about $335,000 for homelessness- and housing-related staff positions.
“City staff are working diligently to ensure that remaining funds are spent by the deadline,” Lear wrote to councilors in the memo.
The rest of the unspent money was awarded to six local nonprofit organizations. All of the groups have spent some of their awards, but not all, and they must submit invoices to the city before they can receive funds as reimbursements.
“I have received assurances from all recipients” that they will spend all of their money by the deadline, Lear said.
The largest unspent fund balance of those six awards, nearly $1.8 million, belongs to Penobscot Community Health Care. The health care provider owns the Hope House Health and Living Center, Bangor’s only low-barrier homeless shelter, and broke ground in November on a shelter expansion project that is set to be completed by the end of the year.
Wabanaki Public Health and Wellness has spent less than $15,000 of its $648,000 for a youth and cultural center.
The Bangor Area Recovery Network has spent about a tenth of its nearly $416,000 award to renovate its recovery center for area residents affected by substance use disorder. Robert Fickett, the organization’s executive director, said it took some time to plan out the renovations but that they began a few weeks ago and are set to wrap up in November.
“Being able to stay here is important,” he said, noting that the center’s location in downtown Brewer near a bus route and the bridge into Bangor makes its resources easily accessible. The center is overhauling its mechanical, heating and ventilation systems and adding a solar panel on the roof, as well as adding more spaces for recovery coaching, Fickett said.
Habitat for Humanity Greater Bangor has about $325,000 left of its million dollar grant to develop up to six affordable, single-family homes.
The Together Place Peer Run Recovery Center, which closed its drop-in center and meals program last week, has about $55,000 left, about a third of the money it received to hire a grant writer.
Food and Medicine has more than $47,000 remaining of its more than $261,000 award to create a workforce navigator position.