American Rescue Plan Funding Uses Hearing Coming Up In Alexandria

ALEXANDRIA, VA — As City Council considers uses of the first allocation of federal American Rescue Plan Act funds, a public hearing will be held on Saturday, June 19.

The virtual public hearing will be focused on potential uses of funds from the federal stimulus package. The City of Alexandria is being allocated $59.4 million split into two equal allotments. One of the allocations came in May 2021, and the other is expected in May 2022.

City Council will consider spending for the first phase allocation at its July 6 meeting. The second phase spending plan will be developed in the fall ahead of the second allocation. Funded projects and programs must be completed before 2024.

Permitted uses of the funds under the law are responding to the public health emergency or its economic impacts, premium pay for workers providing essential work during the public health emergency, government services to the extent of reduced revenue due to the public health emergency, and investments in water, sewer, or broadband infrastructure.

The city's departments developed a list of potential programs and projects for American Rescue Plan funds. The departments then refined or added proposals based on community feedback from April 30 to May 14. Staff then refined the list to ensure proposals met federal regulations and considered whether proposals were feasible in the funding timeframe, have gone through a community process, furthered equity criteria, had thorough cost estimates and scalability, and more.

Based on those steps, proposals were prioritized in tiers. Tier 1 and 2 projects are those that will have an immediate impact, are ready to implement and are considered highly important. Tier 3 and 4 projects are considered highly important but not as urgent or ready to address immediately. Beyond tier 4 projects may not directly qualify for use of funds or may not be feasible within the funding timeframe.

Below are the tiers and projects. See the tiered proposals guide to see full descriptions.

Tier 1

• Out of School Time Program (OSTP) Enhanced Enrichment Programming and Financial Assistance Opportunities
• Rental Resiliency
• Alexandria Community Access and Emergency Support Grant Program
• The Unified Early Childhood Workforce Stabilization Initiative
• LGBTQ & BIPOC Equity Project
• Channel and Floodway Maintenance
• New Business Support Programs
• Foundational Support for Commercial Business Districts
• Alexandria Library Mobile Hotspot Lending Program

Tier 2

• Food Security System Advancement
• Court Mental Health & Asset Builder Program
• Stormwater State of Good Repair & Resiliency
• Alexandria Guaranteed Basic Income Pilot
• Economic Sustainability 2.0 Consultant
• AHDC - Arlandria Community-Serving City Flex Space
• Alexandria Library Outdoor Programs & Job Skills Workshops
• Re-employment and Upskilling Project
• Arlandria Chirilagua Housing Cooperative Improvement Initiative

Tier 3

• Transit and Transportation Subsidy Program for Employers Bringing Employees Back to the Office
• AHDC Arlandria Project - Infrastructure
• Waterfront Improvements (Windmill Hill Park)
• Digital Equity Plan
• Alexandria African American History Tourism Enhancements
• Alexandria Talent Initiative/Talent Hub
• Lower King Street Closure/King Street Place (Short Term)
• Web Site Enhancement
• Moss Kendrix Collection Digitization, Conservation, and Exhibition
• Flash Flooding spot improvements
• Healthy Homes in Alexandria
• Accessible and Affordable Dental and Vision Care for All Alexandrians
• Existing Business Support Programs
• Increase Seasonal Staffing Hours at Museums
• Peer-Powered Resilient Neighborhoods: The Community Wellness Hub Model
• Alexandria Community Remembrance Project

Tier 4

• Gap Funding for New Tourism Catalysts
• Expanding Length of Stay
• Site/See: New Views in Old Town 2022 & 2023
• Office of Internal Audit Federal Funding Oversight
• Expanding Audiences, Awareness & Regional Marketing
• ALIVE & Archives Building Improvement Project
• Building Management Systems for Build HVAC Improvements and Scheduling
• Resilient Power System -- Solar + Battery Energy Storage @ Lee Center
• Broadband Strategist and Policy Analyst
• Seed Funding for Alexandria Arts District Community Development Authority
• Solar Power Systems at Various City Facilities
• Meetings Recovery
• Visitor Center Disability Access
• Cybersecurity User Behavior Analytics
• City Arts Relief and Recovery Grants to Alexandria based Artist(s) and Arts Organizations

Beyond Tier 4

• Early Childcare Center at Minnie Howard
• Dash/Witter Wheeler Flood Mitigation
• Resident Mental Health Survey
• Alexandria 275th Anniversary Celebration
• Clearpass Network Access Controls Implementation
• City Building UV Air Filtration System Installation
• Fire Station lighting retrofits (interior / exterior)
• Sliding partition walls
• City of Alexandria 275th Anniversary (RPCA Segment)
• Lower King Street Closure/King Street Place (long term)
• City of Alexandria 275th Anniversary (OHA segment)
• Broadband In Parks
• Resilient Power System -- Solar + Battery Energy Storage @ 2900 Business Center Drive
• Resilient Power System -- Solar + Battery Energy Storage @ Fire Station 204
• OHA Point-of-Sale System Replacement
• Illuminate Alexandria--Holiday Lighting Installations
• Knox Box Key Replacement
• Operable Window installations
• Fire Department RMS Replacement
• Technology Enhancements for Juvenile & Domestic Relations Court & Court Service Unit
• Dry Hydrants
• Regional Next Generation Emergency Dispatch
• Expanding Opportunities for Public Comment
• Replacement of the Mobile Art Lab and Increased Outreach and Recovery Art Programs

Residents can provide feedback by signing up to speak during the hearing or by providing written feedback by June 18. The virtual meeting starts at 9:30 a.m. with a public comment period at the start. The American Rescue Plan funds public hearing is the 10th docket item.

For more information, visit alexandriava.gov/AmericanRescuePlan.