ELY – Four local non-profit organizations will share some of the $360,000 allocated to the city of Ely from the federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). Another one-third of the funds will be set aside for the city’s broadband project, and the remaining one-third will be used to fund local infrastructure projects.
City council members Tuesday night approved the recommendation from the budget committee for the distribution of what they dubbed “COVID money” totaling $122,259 to the following organizations: Ely Area Food Shelf, $38,900; Happy Days Preschool, $6,000; Ely Community Resource, $56,000; and Ely Area Senior Citizens, $21,359.
The amount of money was determined by funding request letters sent by the organizations describing their loss of revenue associated with the coronavirus pandemic and the public protocols and shutdowns put in place at the time, according to Clerk-Treasurer Harold Langowski.
Council member Heidi Omerza questioned the process used by the budget committee to determine the allocation of the ARPA funds.
“These are all great organizations in Ely, but they are the ‘haves’ and there are a lot of ‘have nots,’” she said.
Committee member Paul Kess said the city solicited non-profit organizations to apply for the funds.
“There are lots of non-profits, but these agencies provide direct services and were directly affected by the pandemic,” he said. “And the four applications we received requested funds equaling about a third of our total funds, with the rest being split between broadband and infrastructure.”
Mayor Roger Skraba added, “We had some robust discussion about how much each group should get and how we should do this. The groups’ contributions to the community helped me make my decision. You got the seniors, the food shelf, daycare, and youth. This is fair. We are helping those groups in the community that need it.”
Budget committee member Al Forsman said the federal government “came out with a lengthy 44-page guide on what is eligible and what is not eligible” for the funds.
“We did have some latitude, but this is what we came up with,” he said.
Langowski added, “The expenses or the request for money was for funds lost during the pandemic. And there was additional pressure put on the Food Shelf and how they are trying to provide additional services to the community. We had a good discussion and the committee came to a consensus that these groups absolutely meet the requirements.”
Other Ely non-profits can still request ARPA funds.
“We did reach out as far as we could. Some groups did not submit anything. Other groups submitted letters supporting other groups requesting funds,” Langowski said. “We still have the ability. The money has to be spent by the end of 2024. We obviously wanted to get that first allocation out there as we received it.”
Emergency Management
Council members approved a recommendation from the Projects Committee to request $2.4 million in federal funding for a new emergency services building. According to Projects Committee minutes from their April 11 meeting, the Ambulance Joint Powers Board continues to look at funding for a new building with a current cost estimate of $3.2 million. The city of Ely needs space to store emergency response equipment, at an estimated cost of $800,000. A new emergency response facility could cost as much as $4 million. State Sen. Tom Bakk is supporting a request for $1.6 million in state funding if the community can fund the remainder.
On a recommendation from the Budget Committee, council members agreed to increase the pay for the Emergency Management Coordinator position from $300 to $500 per quarter. That stipend will be paid to an existing police department member who agrees to take on the added responsibilities.
Council member Forsman reversed his previous concerns with the minor stipend increase. “As you know, I questioned this pay raise, but with the new job description, and the (added) accountability to the council, I feel I can now support this,” he said.
Other business
In other business, the council:
• Heard a request from a citizen’s group asking for a letter of support in asking for more Tourism Bureau marketing dollars to be spent on highlighting the “shoulder seasons” between the summer and winter months, especially for more ATV trail use in the area.
• Approved a request from the Chamber of Commerce to allow them to use the former Kitchen Building at Semer’s Park for storage.
• Approved rental and obstruction permits for the Blueberry Arts Festival and Harvest Moon Festival in 2022.
• Approved a new lease agreement for 2022-2024 with the Ely Golf Club Corp.
• Approved a temporary liquor license for the Ely-Winton Rod and Gun Club on June 4 and Oct. 15 at the Miner’s Dry House.
• Approved a Residential Rehab Loan for Alayna Geisler, 121 E. Boundary St. for $10,000 to replace brick work, chimney flashing and update plumbing.
• Reminded residents that city street winter parking restrictions will remain in place until May 31 unless rescinded earlier, which is unlikely this year as the street sweeper has yet to get outside, according to Langowski.