Jackson aldermen OK large ARPA allocation to senior center

By a unanimous vote Monday, Jackson Board of Aldermen approved a $109,000 payment to the Jackson Senior Center Foundation, 2690 Travelers Way — which was hit hard by COVID-19.

Jackson Mayor Dwain Hahs makes remarks Jan. 24, 2016, at the opening of Jackson Civic Center. Hahs was a vocal proponent of allocating American Rescue Plan Act funds to help Jackson Senior Center, which lost significant revenue because of being closed for 18 months by the effects of COVID-19.Southeast Missourian file

The money comes from the municipality's share of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds.

The center closed from March 2020 to June 2021, which, according to wording of the ordinance, "resulted in significant revenue loss (for the center)."

Under section 602(c)(3) of ARPA, the city may transfer funds to a not-for-profit entity.

"The senior center distributes Meals on Wheels and (MOW) has been a great success for our community," noted Mayor Dwain Hahs, in an interview with the Southeast Missourian.

"The home delivery of food to elderly residents provides not only food but social interaction for our seniors," said Hahs, who said the program's daily visits to homebound citizens strikes a personal chord with the second-term mayor.

"Both my parents used Meals on Wheels when they were alive, and it was good for me knowing if I was out of town that someone was delivering nutritious food to my mom and dad," he added.

Pre-COVID, Hahs said, Jackson Senior Center delivered 300 meals daily.

The allocation to the center, the ordinance noted, is a "one-time payment."

Expenditures

Jackson Senior Center is expected to use the city-provided ARPA money for the following purposes:

• Replace unreliable kitchen equipment at the center.
• Replace a 10-year-old van used for deliveries, which often requires repairs.
• Meet increased operational expenses — notably food costs impacted by inflation and payroll.

Jackson Civic Center opened in 2005 under provisions of 1965's Older Americans Act, "for the purpose of meeting nutritional and social needs of senior residents of the city."

Other aldermanic action

• An ordinance was greenlighted authorizing applying for $5 million in state ARPA funds for improvements to the city's wastewater treatment plant. Additionally, the city may apply for $3 million in ARPA money to upgrade the city's water treatment plant and to construct a new northeast water tower.
• A public hearing was set July 18 on a special-use permit for a high-density mixed residential development in a C-2 (general commercial) district at 957 W. Independence St., submitted by Brennon Todt.
• Cindy Lichtenegger was appointed to the city's Community Outreach Board, filling an unexpired term ending in 2025.