Community Project Funding
Congressman Moolenaar requested funding for the following communinty projects in Michigan's Fourth District. The links below provide information and details on the requested funding.
Village of Breckenridge
Provide a funding level of $1,646,932 for the Breckenridge Industrial, Technology and Agri-Business Park Phase II as a community project funding request. The intended recipient is the Village of Breckenridge. The project would be a valuable use of taxpayer funds because it would build the needed capacity for developed lots for industrial, technology and agribusiness expansion and will lead to the creation of over 200 new jobs and an estimate of $10 million of investment within the Breckenridge area and the Great Lakes Bay region. This project will provide for 19 new developed lots with full infrastructure, all season roads, lighting, and access to a major thoroughfare.
City of Big Rapids
Provide a funding level of $1,827,000 for the Roben-Hood Airport in Big Rapids. The entity to receive funding for this project is the City of Big Rapids, Michigan located at 226 North Michigan Avenue, Big Rapids, MI 49307. This project would be a valuable use of taxpayer funds because it would invest in infrastructure and would be used to extend Roben-Hood Airport’s runway from a length of 4,300-feet to a length of 5,000-feet, with a full parallel taxiway, high intensity runway lighting, a precision approach, and a segmented circle to accommodate both existing and future users.
Central Michigan University
Provide a funding level of $350,000 for the Central Michigan University Telepsychiatry Outreach for Suicide Prevention in Rural Medically Underserved Communities Project as a community project funding request. The intended recipient is Central Michigan University’s College of Medicine, located at 1280 East Campus Drive, Mount Pleasant, MI 44859, The project would be a valuable use of taxpayer funds because, according to the March 2021 Michigan Suicide Commission Report, suicide rates are generally higher in more rural area and the northeastern half of the Lower Peninsula and the eastern portion of the Upper Peninsula have the highest age-adjusted suicide rates in the state. There is also a behavioral health provider service gap in these rural areas, which has been complicated by the uneven geographic distribution of psychiatrists, where two-thirds of the state’s psychiatrists are based in the Ann Arbor-Detroit areas. This project would boost the capacity of telehealth assets across the 15 counties in Michigan’s Fourth Congressional District to strengthen telepsychiatry services with a focus on reducing youth suicide deaths and attempts which unfortunately has been exacerbated by COVID-19.
Letter of Certification
Clinton County Area Transit System
Provide a funding level of $1,000,000 for the Clinton Area Transit System Rural Transit Facility Expansion as a community project funding request. The intended recipient is the Clinton Area Transit System located at 215 North Scott Road, St. Johns, Michigan 48879. The project would be a valuable use of taxpayer funds because curb-to-door ridership has increased by 30% for community seniors, persons with disabilities, and veterans. The need for additional transportation staff, increasing office space, and providing for increased vehicle maintenance capability is desperately needed. This project would allow for the construction of additional office spaces for the Clinton County public transit system to house additional staff, as well as constructing a new maintenance facility to properly maintain county transit vehicles and protect vehicles during winter months.
Four Lakes Task Force
Provide a funding level of $1,060,000 for the purchase and installation of public safety booms, as a community project funding request. The intended recipient is the Four Lakes Task Force located at 233 East Larkin Street, Suite 2, Midland, Michigan, 48640. The project would be a valuable use of taxpayer funds because it will provide much needed public safety awareness on the upstream side of two dams that suffered significant damage in May 2020. The historic rainfall in May 2020 also led to the catastrophic failure of two additional dams that sent roughly six billion cubic feet of water flowing down river forcing ten thousand residents to evacuate and causing millions of dollars in damage and lost economic activity.
IQHub
Provide a funding level of $250,311 for creating the IQhub Community Classroom, as a community project funding request. The intended recipient is the IQhub located at 1130 South DeWitt Road, St. Johns, Michigan 48879. The project would be a valuable use of taxpayer funds because the IQhub, as an educational center for agricultural history, innovation and exploration, and the Community Classroom will be a destination for STEM-based learning and agriscience education for thousands of Michigan students from rural communities as well as the Grand Rapids and Lansing metropolitan areas. The Community Classroom will also enhance community programming and lifetime education for residents in rural mid-Michigan.
City of Midland
Provide a funding level of $750,000 for the City of Midland Storm and Sanitary Sewer Improvement as a community project funding request. The intended recipient is the City of Midland located at 333 West Ellsworth Street, Midland, MI 48640. The project would be a valuable use of taxpayer funds because it would respond to the critical infrastructure needs that have arisen due to the historic flooding in 2020, which resulted in the major disaster declaration (DR-4547-MI) being issued, by strengthening the system to be more resilient during flooding and high rain events.
Midland Center for the Arts
Provide a funding level of $500,000 for the Midland Center for the Arts Revitalization Project as a community project funding request. The intended recipient is the Midland Center for the Arts. The project would be a valuable use of taxpayer funds because in March 2020, the Midland Center for the Arts was closed due to COVID-19 and, two months later, the Center’s five buildings, including its historical archives and collections, sustained several million dollars in damages due to historic flooding and the breach of two local dams that led to a federal major disaster declaration (DR-4547-MI). The Center is working with the City of Midland, Midland County, the Midland Business Alliance, and other local partners to recover and rebuild from the devastating impact of these events, and to bring the city’s economy back to life through increased tourism and regional visitation to Midland. The Center’s estimated impact on the local economy is over $14 million annually, and the revitalization of the facility strengthens the entire city, county, and region.