Harrisburg City Council on Tuesday.
With millions of dollars in federal COVID relief funds in hand, Harrisburg soon will determine how the city will use the money.
Harrisburg City Council on Tuesday weighed a plan to potentially use its remaining American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) dollars to support affordable housing development and to create a spray park in south Harrisburg, among other projects.
Under ARPA, Harrisburg received $47 million for pandemic relief. In June 2022, council voted to use about $15.6 million of the funds to reimburse the city for lost revenue during the pandemic, for the replacement of the HVAC system in its Public Safety Building and for one-time bonuses to uniformed personnel in the Harrisburg Fire Bureau and Bureau of Police.
Tuesday night’s proposal from the administration included using another $28.1 million of the funds. The two largest allotments, each $8 million, would go towards funding affordable housing projects and towards constructing a spray park at the site of the closed Hall Manor pool.
According to Director of Building and Housing Development, Dennise Hill, the affordable housing funds could be disbursed to developers as either matching funds or direct assistance. Applicants for the funds would be approved by a board using a scoring rubric, which would be developed. The money could be used to support the development of around 100 rental or for-sale units for low-income residents, Hill explained.
The spray park would replace the aging Hall Manor community pool with a large, water park-style facility. According to Parks and Recreation Director Dave Baker, the project could include the construction of a new pool, lazy river and spray pad elements.
Another $5 million would support the city’s Housing Rehabilitation Program, which provides home repair assistance to low-income residents. A $1.5 million allocation would fund blighted property demolition, $1.5 million would create an ADA-accessible playground and $1 million would help cover the cost of delinquent trash bills for low-income residents. Other, smaller allocations would go towards small business assistance, tree removal and pruning for seniors and an upgraded radio system for the Fire Bureau.
Administrative costs would take $1.2 million of the funds.
According to council officials, they plan to hold several public meetings in the coming weeks to gather input on the proposal before voting.
Also on Tuesday, during a special legislative session, council voted to pay off a remaining $8.3 million in general obligation bond debt. This debt is money that the city owes after defaulting on loans during its financial crisis a decade ago.
Officials explained that the city has a sufficient amount of money saved to pay off the debt. Currently, Harrisburg’s fund balance is around $25 million and, once the debt is paid, the balance would total $16.7 million.
In other news, council may be moving closer to filling seats on its Citizens Law Enforcement Advisory Board. The board, which aims to provide accountability to the police bureau, was created by council in Nov. 2020 but never filled.
On Tuesday, council introduced its five proposed appointees to the board, including Brent Miller, Quinton Davis, Adrian Selkowitz, Gia Johnson and Lakichia Carrier.
Each proposed board member is a resident of a different policing district in the city. Once the board is formed, they will appoint two members from the city at large.
Mayor Wanda Williams has the power to appoint another two members to the board, but she has not yet announced any appointments.
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