Sep. 12—Cleveland County commissioners on Monday unanimously approved nearly $23.4 million in American Rescue Plan Act money in initiatives ranging from infrastructure to healthcare.
While most of the money will be given toward initiatives for the first time, three existing initiatives will be bolstered by money allocated from the second round of funding, according to the project inventory.
The appropriation comes after the commissioners in June appropriated almost $17 million in ARPA money toward infrastructure, broadband, public health, the renovation of the Alan J. Couch juvenile detention center and nonprofit support. Both appropriations are part of $55 million the county has been granted through the federal program.
In the second round of funding, the county is approved to spend:
* $10.28 million on health initiatives. More than half ($6.28 million) is going toward funding behavioral health, and public health for both detainees and staff, at the Cleveland County Detention Center. The remainder is going toward the county's and Norman Regional Health System's responses to COVID-19, NRHS' healthy living initiatives and behavioral health initiatives in the juvenile detention center.
* $9.6 million on infrastructure. $5 million is going toward the Cleveland County Fairgrounds, which is used for mass vaccination clinics, elections and other services as well as the county fair. $3.5 million will be used to leverage investment by state and/or tribal nations for water infrastructure. The remainder will be used for Lake Thunderbird sustainability and to leverage broadband infrastructure.
* $3.5 million toward business and nonprofit initiatives. $2 million will be split between a business incubator "ensuring the county recovers economically" and a workforce initiative for the unemployed or underemployed. $1.5 million will go toward nonprofits.