DETROIT (Michigan News Source) – Officially, when the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) was signed in March 2021, the Joe Biden White House cited the necessity of the $1.9 trillion spending bill.

The act “provides funding for critical resources to strengthen the backbone of our country, while also responding to the public health and economic crisis the Nation faces as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.”

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Instead, municipalities across the state have used ARPA money to fund projects that are unrelated to the pandemic.

Five years later, COVID-19 is an afterthought. However, the city of Detroit authorized $2.19 million of ARPA money to spend on the Adams Butzel Complex recreational building. The project is expected to be completed by March 2026, according to documents the city released this week.

The money would be spent on unspecified “improvements.”

The complex is located on Detroit’s westside. It offers swimming, ice skating, basketball and field sports. It opened in the early 1970s.