Ward touts Gainesville’s accomplishments with federal funding 

In the week leading up to President Joe Biden’s fourth State of the Union Address, mayors across the country are circulating op-eds to highlight funding their cities have received through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill (BIL) and other programs. 

Gainesville Mayor Harvey Ward joined the current, touting the use of federal funding in an op-ed titled, “Federal Funding Saves Lives in Gainesville.” 

Ward cited an $8 million Safe Streets and Roads for All grant Gainesville received through the BIL to transform part of University Avenue into a “complete street.” The concept is aimed at improving accessibility and pedestrian and cyclist safety. 

Ward highlighted another BIL grant, administered through the Federal Transit Administration, that will allow the city to build a Regional Transit System (RTS) bus hub near the UF Health Hawthorne Road facility at the Eastside Health and Economic Development Initiative (EHEDI) site. 

Ward also listed the ways in which the city has used ARPA funding, including the UF Health urgent care center on Hawthorne Road, the “One Nation One Project” program, domestic abuse services, early-learning organizations and mental health counseling. 

“These examples only scratch the surface of the myriad ways the city of Gainesville will be able to save, change and improve lives over both the near and long term with this support from federal grant packages,” Ward wrote. 

Ward also noted that ARPA funding allowed the city to respond quickly to new homeless tent camps popping up in the city. Using ARPA funding, Gainesville helped provide additional shelter beds at GRACE Marketplace, where Ward said many of the campers are now sheltering. 

The city recently cut GRACE Marketplace funding to help tighten its budget after state scrutiny led to cuts in the general services contribution from Gainesville Regional Utilities. The county stepped in to fill a $500,000 gap for this year, but in a memorandum last week, Alachua County Commissioner Ken Cornell wrote that he considers the funding a one-time deal. 

Cornell critiqued the city for asking the county for help with GRACE, then reallocating $700,000 in ARPA funding and $400,000 from the Gainesville Community Reinvestment Area (GCRA) budget to expand homeless outreach. 

For his part, Ward focused on what the federal help made possible.  

“Because of the flexibility of federal funds from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), the city of Gainesville was able to respond in a matter of days and partner with GRACE Marketplace to create additional shelter beds and the wraparound services that come with them,” he wrote.