Detroit City Council delays ARPA spending

Hi, I’m Kayleigh Lickliter, a BridgeDetroit contributor! 

Malachi has two hands on the wheel as he makes his way north for this year’s Mackinac Policy Conference, so I’ll be covering the City Council Notebook while he’s out.

Now let’s dig into this week’s agenda.

WHAT PAGE ARE WE ON?

Today’s notebook covers the May 27 formal session. 

Dig into the agenda, read Detroit Documenter notes or watch the recording for more details.

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Historic building lives to see another day, for now

A $410,000 demolition contract was postponed to allow for additional time to discuss the possibility of preserving 17205 Lahser Rd, which once housed Redford Printing Co. and Detroit Suburban Newspapers, Inc. The demolition would be paid for with funding from the $826 million the city received in federal funding through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). 

Council President Pro Tem James Tate inquired about the possibility of preserving the structure in October last year. 

At the time the building was assessed, Group Executive for Construction & Demolition LaJuan Counts said it was determined that the best route would be demolition. 

Demolition of the building has been on hold since at least September, Counts said, and it will continue until a decision is made about whether to demolish or preserve the historic structure. 

The biggest concern with the building is safety, and while the structure may appear structurally sound from the exterior, Counts explained that consultants weren’t able to gain access to certain areas of the building because of concerns about portions of the roof missing that make the walls prone to collapse and the integrity of the floor. 

Aside from the safety risks associated with delaying demolition, the only other concerns are time and money. 

Counts said the process of preserving a structurally unsafe building is entirely different than the process for demolishing it and a separate study would need to be done to determine whether preservation is an option, which could take several months to complete. 

“Could it be saved? Yes, with enough money,” Counts said, adding that her concern would be how long it would take to preserve the building, given that the structure is at risk of collapsing today. 

 “I can’t say when, I can’t say if it’s going to happen in next 2 months, or the next 10 years,” Counts said, “because with that roof in place, it becomes a significant concern for me, not only for my staff, but also for the public as a whole.” 

According to Deputy CFO Terri Daniels, the building was scoped out and ordered for demolition prior to the U.S. Treasury’s December 2024 deadline for when funds had to be obligated. If the city removed the property from the pipeline, according to Daniels, it would have to de-obligate the ARPA funding that was locked in for this purpose. Due to federal time limits on using the funds, the city wouldn’t be able to use ARPA funds for the preservation of the building and would have to look elsewhere for funding. 

Councilmembers delay spending their slice of the ARPA pie

City Council postponed a resolution that would appropriate $9.4 million in remaining ARPA funds across all seven council districts and two at-large seats for various initiatives. Each council member was given just over $1 million that they could appropriate for existing projects. Due to the timing constraints imposed by the U.S. Treasury’s rules for spending down ARPA funding, the funding can’t be used for a new initiative. 

President Mary Sheffield, Pro Tem Tate, and Coleman Young III each intend to use their pots of funding for a single purpose; meanwhile, other council members divided their pots so it could be used to fund multiple programs.  

Young plans to provide a boost for the Mental Health Co-Response Initiative while Sheffield plans to dedicate the funding for the Neighborhood Beautification Program. 

Latisha Johnson and Scott Benson are using a combined $262,500 for the Community Violence Intervention (CVI) programs in their districts. 

Home repairs are also on the list: Pro Tem Tate will use his $1 million for the Private Sewer Repair Program to make repairs and upgrades in homes that were hit by the June 2021 floods. Benson plans to use $277,368 for home repairs for seniors and disabled residents living in District 3.

Gabriela Santiago-Romero is allocating $900,000 for the Renew Detroit Home Repair Program for residents living in District 6 and the remaining funds will be used for Bridging Communities outreach. 

Mary Waters is allocating half of her pot for the basement backup protection program and the other half will be used to make ADA improvements at St. Patrick’s Senior Center. 

Parks will also get upgrades as Angela Whitfield-Calloway intends to use all of the funding in District 2 for upgrades to Comstock and Peterson parks. Benson plans to spend $450,000 to create a pathway to Dorais playground and $150,000 for the “Green the Block” vacant land strategy. 

Fred Durhal III plans to use half of the $1 million to provide a boost to Grow Detroit’s Young Talent, $200,000 for housing resource navigation services through Matrix Human Services, and the remaining funds of about $352,000 would go towards the Neighborhood Opportunity Fund. 

No committee meetings this week 

Committee meetings are canceled for the week as council members head north for the Mackinac Policy Conference. Visit the Detroit Regional Chamber’s website for information on panel discussions and viewing options. And stick with Bridgedetroit.com for more updates from the island this week.