Warren County Board of Supervisors discuss ARPA funding proposals at Monday work session

Published 3:16 pm Tuesday, October 12, 2021

The Warren County Board of Supervisors, during its work session on Monday, discussed initial proposals received for use of the $8.8 million in funding anticipated from the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA).

Six public meetings were scheduled by the board to allow organizations, entities and individuals to present possible ARPA fund uses or projects. Four meetings have already been held prior to the Monday work session. The last two were held this past Monday and Tuesday.

District 5 Supervisor Kelle Barfield said, following the proposals from the community, the board would then reach out to county department heads as to the needs specific to county-owned facilities.

Barfield said the board would probably do this in the next two weeks.

“We will then be in a good position to determine how to allocate the funds to different categories including county infrastructure, health care, housing. Youth and social services, tourism and other support impacted by the pandemic,” Barfield said.

Sixty-five groups submitted proposals and Barfield said the board was in the process of having questions answered in this series of six public meetings.

ARPA funding was provided to prevent or respond to the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on the community — as well as other eligible uses as defined by the U.S. Department of the Treasury.

The county has up until the end of 2024 to allocate monies.

About Terri Cowart Frazier

Terri Frazier was born in Cleveland. Shortly afterward, the family moved to Vicksburg. She is a part-time reporter at The Vicksburg Post and is the editor of the Vicksburg Living Magazine, which has been awarded First Place by the Mississippi Press Association. She has also been the recipient of a First Place award in the MPA’s Better Newspaper Contest’s editorial division for the “Best Feature Story.”

Terri graduated from Warren Central High School and Mississippi State University where she received a bachelor’s degree in communications with an emphasis in public relations.

Prior to coming to work at The Post a little more than 10 years ago, she did some freelancing at the Jackson Free Press. But for most of her life, she enjoyed being a full-time stay at home mom.

Terri is a member of the Crawford Street United Methodist Church. She is a lifetime member of the Vicksburg Junior Auxiliary and is a past member of the Sampler Antique Club and Town and Country Garden Club. She is married to Dr. Walter Frazier.

“From staying informed with local governmental issues to hearing the stories of its people, a hometown newspaper is vital to a community. I have felt privileged to be part of a dedicated team at The Post throughout my tenure and hope that with theirs and with local support, I will be able to continue to grow and hone in on my skills as I help share the stories in Vicksburg. When asked what I like most about my job, my answer is always ‘the people.’

More by Terri Cowart