 The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, also known by its acronym ARRA, is an economic stimulus package enacted by the 111th United States Congress and signed into law by President Barack Obama on February 17, 2009. The Act of Congress was based largely on proposals made by President Obama and is intended to provide a stimulus to the United States economy in the wake of the economic downturn. The Act includes, among other things, additional spending for infrastructure, with funding allocated for transportation projects, utility projects, and other various applications. More information about the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 is available on the Federal Governments Recovery Act website, Recovery.gov.
The Village of Villa Park has been making every effort to take advantage of financial assistance made available by the Recovery Act. Village staff has been extremely active in seeking out and applying for funding opportunities for a wide variety of improvements projects. To date, the Village has either submitted, or is in the process of submitting, applications for funding for nine capital improvement projects. Of those nine projects, four have been granted Recovery Act funding, with several more funding notifications still pending. Village staff is also continuing to monitor other sources of financial assistance in the hopes that more potential projects may benefit.
Financial assistance made available by the Recovery Act is generally distributed through existing channels, with Recovery Act funding appearing as either additional available funds for existing grant and loan programs, or as special issue funding opportunities, in which existing grant and loan programs issue a special call for projects using only Recovery Act funds. There are also a small number of new funding sources which have been created as a direct result of the Recovery Act, offering potential funding for projects through new programs funded solely with Recovery Act funds. The greatest misconception about Recovery Act funds is that there is a single pot or well which the Village can dip into and drawn funds from. Unfortunately, this is not the case. The grant and loan opportunities which the Village has pursued have been offered for a wide variety of uses, and through a number of different government agencies. Each has their own requirements and unique application process, requiring a substantial amount of planning and preparation for each funding opportunity.
In addition to Recovery Act funding, the Village has also been pursuing funding from a wide variety of other sources. The Village has sought financial assistance from different conventional grant programs for many years. Most of these conventional grant programs are still being offered, and the Village has been continuing its efforts to pursue these opportunities. Additionally, the State of Illinois Capital Bill, also known as Illinois Jobs Now, has created some additional potential funding opportunities which Village staff is pursuing. These additional funding opportunties, when paired with Recovery Act assistance, have provided a source of optimism and renewed energy with regards to the funding of potential improvement projects in the Village of Villa Park.
Detailed information on the projects, funding sources, and amounts requested by Village staff is currently in preparation, and will be provided here when it becomes available. Those with questions about how the Village is responding to Recovery Act opportunities or with questions about potential Recovery Act projects may contact the Public Works Department at (630) 834-8505.
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Public Works Director
Vydas Juskelis, P.E.
Address
Public Works Department
11 West Home Avenue
Villa Park, Illinois 60181
Telephone/Fax
| T: |
630.834.8505 |
| F: |
630.834.8509 |
| TDD: |
630.834.8589 |
E-Mail
publicworks@invillapark.com
Office Hours
7:30 AM to 4:00 PM
Monday - Friday
After-Hours Emergencies
Police Non-Emergency
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