HARRISONBURG, Va. (ROCKTOWN NOW) – A Deed of Open Space easement for the Northend Greenway was successfully approved for City Manager Ande Banks to execute at Tuesday night’s Harrisonburg City Council meeting.  

Director of Public Works Thomas Hartman explained how the deed will impact the Greenway. 

Hartman added that the creation of these easements was a requirement to obtain the grant from the Virginia Outdoor Foundation in August of 2023. This grant preserves Open-Space land in the state of Virginia and here in the Friendly City.  

The project received grant funding in 2023 for $114,228, which completely funds the current Northend Greenway Study. 

Leftover ARPA funding

The American Rescue Plan Act or ARPA which had funds allocated to the City of Harrisonburg in 2021 for COVID-19 relief had leftover funds from three relief projects conducted by the city.  

At Tuesday night’s City Council meeting, Grants and Programs Analyst Luke Morgan suggested to the city council where those leftover funds should be sent. 

ARPA sent $23.8 million and all funds had been used except for $13,144.50. The excess funds came from employee retention payments, a childcare program, and the small business assistance fund.   

Under the terms of ARPA, all funding must be allocated by the end of this year and then used by the end of 2026.