Tag Archives: Federal Funding

A new homeless shelter in DeKalb County has opened earlier than expected, with plenty of space left for people trying to stay out of the elements. The non-profit organization Live and Let Live started the shelter, opened ahead of schedule on Sunday. Vice President Lillie Johnson said there are over sixty homeless people in the county but only two are ... Read More »

The Van Buren County School Board will send a budget to the county commission that contains restored funding for a pre-k classroom. Director of Schools Cheryl Cole said some $100,000 of federal funding came back to the school system. “I had to go back and revise it last week, because voluntary pre-k,” Cole said. “We had funding for two classrooms ... Read More »

Van Buren Elementary’s gym floor will be replaced thanks to federal COVID money. Director of Schools Cheryl Cole said the school board’s spending plan includes the capital project. “It’s rubberized right now,” Cole said. ‘We’ve had it for about 24 years. It’s past its life expectancy, and we’re hoping to put wood in. But, we’ll have to see how much ... Read More »

The idea of spending COVID relief funding on pay raises and new hires have been discussed as ways to fill positions. However, County Government Consultant Ben Rodgers said American Rescue Plan and ESSER funding should address long-term goals, without reoccurring costs. Rodgers said the funding will not be there in a few years, bringing repercussions for trying to solve short-term ... Read More »

The Upper Cumberland Veterans Cemetery project on hold as the state Veterans Office waits for federal funding. Public Information Officer David Solon said the department is eligible for Veterans Affair grant funding. Recipients will be named in October. “If we are to get awarded the grant and we are very optimistic that we will be, once that happens the VA ... Read More »

The Putnam County School System is looking for community input on how to best use ESSER 3.0 funding. ESSER Coordinator Jason Stickler said the survey is on the system’s new ESSER website. Stickler said hearing from families is critical because how much the federal funding affects students and the community. “Our goal is to gather as much input and feedback ... Read More »

Potential uses for state and federal funding in Van Buren County were discussed during Tuesday’s Committee A meeting. Mayor Greg Wilson said that $700,000 in federal and $276,000 from the state will all come in before July 31. Wilson said that in order to find non-recurring expenses to fund the county could use the money towards grant matches. “It might ... Read More »