Trustees to invest ARPA Funds in Community Center
March 29, 2022--The Board of Trustees are moving towards final design on the new Community Center and plan to utilize American Rescue Plan Act federal funds to help build the public facility. The ARPA funding offers a once in a generation investment into recreation and community gathering space. Over the past year, the Town of Mead conducted resident outreach through surveys, workshops, and focus groups to better understand the needs of the community. During this time, the old bean plant site, located at 401 3rd Street, was thoroughly assessed and preliminary design options were offered for public input.
The Board of Trustees spent the last several months considering design layouts, overall budget constraints, while balancing resident feedback. At the public meeting on March 28, the Trustees directed staff to move forward on a new 9,800 square foot building to occupy the 1-acre site. The new community center site will offer an abundance of multi-purpose recreation and community space, an outdoor splashpad, while maintaining a historical aesthetic. The estimated cost for the 9,800 square-feet facility is approximately $4,465,000.
“We’ve identified several funding sources to make this community vision a reality,” explained Mayor Colleen Whitlow. “The proposed design fulfills our community needs and is realistically attainable without a tax increase or placing a financial burden on our residents.” The Town intends to use $1 million in federal aid from the American Rescue Act Plan, with the remaining portion being funded by impact fees paid by new development and the Capital Improvement Fund.
A key component of this project is the use of deconstruction, as opposed to demolition, to repurpose and reuse valuable materials. The final design will pay homage to the agricultural roots of Mead, while providing a fiscally responsible path to deliver what the community has requested. The overall site design will incorporate old bean plant materials to enhance and honor Mead’s history. Final design and strategic deconstruction will begin in early summer, with new construction anticipated to start by early 2023.
