The federal government just announced a funding opportunity open to all states. It’s called the Reconnecting Communities program. Its aim is to reconnect people to economic mobility and essential services within their communities. The City of St. Petersburg is going to apply for some of the funding in the hopes that it can increase the shared prosperity, equitable development of the city, and help connect St. Pete communities.
“As one of my top priorities, our Administration is working to incorporate equity into all polices to ensure growth benefits the entire community. This new available funding can serve as a catalyst for building a connected city and dismantling historic transportation barriers to success while connecting businesses to customers and employees and providing safe transportation options,” said St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch.
Applications for grant opportunities will be open through October 13. The grant opportunities and will provide funding to reconnect people to economic mobility and essential services within their communities. The $1 billion program will help reconnect communities that were previously cut off from economic opportunities due to insufficient or ineffective transportation infrastructure.
Mayor Welch plans to meet with City staff to explore how to best tap into this historic funding. This comes at a crucial moment on the heels of the Historic Gas Plant District RFP announcement at the Tropicana Field site.
Reconnecting a community could mean adapting existing infrastructure. For example, building a pedestrian walkway over or under an existing highway. But it also includes other things like connecting neighborhoods to jobs. Or improving transportation access through new crosswalks and redesigned intersections.
This new program is an opportunity to support planning efforts that advance projects to a phase where they are more competitive for additional capital funding opportunities.
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