October 25th, 2021
Residents asked for input on priorities for $144 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds.
Monroe County Executive Adam Bello invites the community to the first of four Bring Monroe Back public input sessions. This session will be held from 6 to 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, October 27 at Millennium Lodge in Greece Canal Park, 241 Elmgrove Road. Gathering public input is the first phase of the Bring Monroe Back effort to invest $144 million in Federal America Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds delivered to Monroe County by Senators Chuck Schumer, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand and Congressman Joseph Morelle.
“The $144 million in ARPA funds are a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and we need your help prioritizing where these dollars should be invested,” said County Executive Bello. “Will our families want to build a future here? Will there be good jobs for our kids? Does everyone have an equal opportunity? These are some of the questions about Monroe County’s future we need your help answering. I encourage everyone to attend one of the sessions or complete our online survey to help design our future.”
Bring Monroe Back coincides with Plan Forward, the county’s development of a new comprehensive plan. Taken together, the plans will be a blueprint for Monroe County’s immediate recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, and our long-term strategic direction. Plan Forward will use data gathered from public outreach related to ARPA and build upon it to steer the county toward a more equitable and sustainable future.
Bring Monroe Back builds on a dozen community and government-led plans, assessments and reports that have already engaged our citizens, business owners and experts in their field. Using those reports, we identified six focus areas where we would invest ARPA funds: Public Safety, Public Health and Wellness, Economic Recovery, Workforce Development, Infrastructure Improvements and Sustainability.
In-person input sessions are as follows:
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6 to 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, October 27 at Millennium Lodge, Greece Canal Park, 241 Elmgrove Road, 14626
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6 to 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, November 10 at Joseph C. Wilson Magnet High School, 501 Genesee Street, 14611
- 6 to 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, December 1 Grand View Lodge, Powder Mills Park, 154 Park Road, 14534
A virtual session runs from noon to 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 8 via Zoom. Participants should email [email protected] for a link.
Community members may also participate by filling out a survey available at www.monroecounty.gov/bringmonroeback. Community groups and organizations may request hard copies to distribute to their members via [email protected]. Additionally, hard copies of the surveys will be available in public locations throughout the county.
Community organizations can submit direct written testimony using our Community Organization Statement Form, available here: https://www.monroecounty.gov/files/planning/ARPA%20Community%20Statement.pdf.
