Mayor Cortez talks ARPA funds and the upcoming State of the Community event
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Joplin made good use of their American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds in 2025. Mayor Keenan Cortez stopped by the Morning NewsWatch to talk about where that money went and what we saw from it.
“These were federal dollars that were out there for the taking for communities to bid for, submit for, to get down into our community so we could do projects such as widening streets, putting in sidewalks, shoring up some other infrastructure around our community,” Cortez explained. “And the City of Joplin went out and got almost $97 million worth of those ARPA dollars to bring back into our community. … You remember the year 2025 when we started this show at the beginning of the year in January last year, the color of the year was yellow and orange for all of the cones that we were going to see around town. Well, that's for those ARPA dollars that were being deployed.”
Cortez added that the deadline to have these ARPA projects completed is 2026, so that is what you are going to see this year in Joplin.
“So, 2025 was really a nose to the grindstone,” Cortez said “And in 2026, what you're going to see is a lot of those projects wrapping up. A lot of those ARPA dollars come with some strings attached to them. This money's got to be spent and committed by the end of the year in 2026.”
Among the projects Joplin started this year with those ARPA funds includes tearing down the old Freeman Hospital building, with the space allocated for seniors or veterans. There have been several street-widening projects, including parts of Connecticut and 20th street, as well as the construction of the MOmentum Bike Park.
Mayor Cortez also noted that Joplin's first-ever State of the Community (SotC) event is scheduled for Wednesday, January 14, at The Cornell Complex. The event will feature Mayor Cortez and City Manager Nick Edwards, plus updates from the Chamber, County Commissioners, and Public Schools, focusing on 2025 successes and 2026 vision, with tickets available online for $25, limited to 250 seats.
