Millions of dollars in federal pandemic relief have had a major impact across Erie County.
And on Friday, a White House official obtained firsthand evidence.
Tom Perez, a senior adviser to President Joe Biden, visited Erie County for the day to tour several projects made possible by the county and city of Erie’s share of American Rescue Plan funds.
More: Erie County, Pa. has spent approximately $41 million in ARPA funds. Where have the funds gone?
Perez, director of the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs, said Erie County was one of many places he visited over the past year to observe the tangible impact of Biden’s $1.9 trillion relief package in 2021 signed.
Erie County received approximately $52 million in ARP funds. The city of Erie received approximately $76 million.
In both cases, Perez said, the county and city made “remarkable investments” that are now “paying off.”
“Today I have seen so many examples of investments that, in some cases, are paying off immediately,” Perez said. “You continue to make transformative changes in and around, not just the city of Erie, but across the county.”
Here are a few takeaways.
Perez praises the new homeless shelter
The new Community Resilience Center, at 450 E. 16th St., is funded by a $1 million ARP investment from the county.
The building, located near the Erie County Prison, was previously the county’s work release center. Starting this fall, the building, complete with 150 beds, will serve as an overflow shelter for the homeless, according to Erie County Public Information Officer Chris Carroll.
“This particular investment is a story of hope,” said Erie County Executive Brenton Davis, who joined Perez at a news conference outside the facility. “This winter, for the first time, no individual in Erie County will have to go without a warm place to sleep.”
Perez, in turn, praised the investment as “remarkable and exciting.”
“We are proud of the fact that you are investing $1 million in ARP funding to ensure that you have resilience here,” he said.
Perez visits plastics technology at Behrend and improved Girard water tower
Perez also visited Penn State Behrend to tour the plastics technology laboratory and the proposed site for the Center for Manufacturing Competitiveness, a key component of Project Resolve, which received $5 million in ARP funds from the county.
“You’re building the workforce of tomorrow,” Perez said. “You are building the advanced manufacturing ecosystem of tomorrow. These are very, very important and critical investments.”
Perez also visited the municipality of Girard to view a water tower that was upgraded using ARP funds through the province’s municipal infrastructure GAP financing.
“That may not seem like a big deal to some, but it is essential for a small town,” Perez said. “It’s the equivalent of a tax cut for a small town, because if you don’t fund it with federal dollars, you have to make all those residents pay for it.”
Perez tours EMI and other city venues
Perez was presented with a key to the city by Mayor Joe Schember before participating in a roundtable discussion with public, private, nonprofit and community leaders who have benefited from the city’s ARP funds.
Schember said the funds have been critical, allowing the city to invest in areas such as infrastructure, housing, public safety, parks and public spaces and information technology.
Perez visited multiple city locations, including
Perez later praised the city and county for being “good stewards” of the ARP funds.
“This was a relationship of trust,” he said. “We didn’t tell you how to spend this money. We said, ‘We trust you to figure out what’s best.’ And that confidence is justified.”
AJ Rao can be reached at arao@gannett.com. Follow him on X @ETNRao.
This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: White House official Tom Perez visits rescue plan projects in Erie
