$127 million is a lot of money, but can it be transformational?
That's what Kent County administrator Al Vanderberg is hoping to accomplish with the county's share of the American Rescue Plan.
"This is not a one off. We want to invest the money in projects with future impacts. We want to do something that reverberates into the future," Vanderberg said Thursday night at the first of three community meetings to discuss ideas. He said the county commission is seeking community input because it is the right thing to do. "We don't have all the answers. We value your input tremendously."
Two major priorities emerged from Thursday's conversation -- affordable housing and mental health. Several people mentioned the current housing crisis where even people with a good income cannot afford a home. Some attendees brought up mental health as a top priority and County Commission Chair Stan Stek said mental health is his pet project. He suggested a new crisis stabilization unit to provide behavior health response when people are in crisis.
"Not jails, not emergency rooms," Stek said.
A variety of other ideas were discussed from yoga and preserving a tennis club to public transportation and immigrant services. The remaining community forums will be 6 p.m. June 6 at Rockford High School and 6 p.m. June 8 at Gaines Charter Township. Residents can complete a survey on the website until June 24. Proposals will be accepted until July 15. Then the county commission plans to approve plans in August and September.
