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Alpena County approves joint application so NEEMA can receive $2.7 million USDA recycling grant
Summary
The board voted to authorize a joint application so the Northeast Michigan Environmental Management Authority can be added to an awarded USDA recycling grant originally issued in Alpena County’s name; the grant will be held in a joint account and NEEMA will administer construction and contracting.
The Alpena County Board of Commissioners voted to authorize a joint application that will add the Northeast Michigan Environmental Management Authority as a co‑applicant on a $2.7 million United States Department of Agriculture recycling grant originally awarded in the county’s name.
The change, which the county must submit to USDA before the money can be released, will place all grant funds into a joint account and allow NEEMA to administer bidding, contracting and reporting for the proposed recycling facility. Mayor Michael Johnson, speaking as chair of NEEMA, said the USDA will not release the funds unless the application names NEEMA and the funds are in a single account.
Why it matters: The grant is the largest single federal award tied to the proposed regional recycling facility and NEEMA leaders said the money must be pooled with other local bond and grant funding before USDA will transfer its portion. Without USDA’s release of the $2.7 million, NEEMA and partners cannot advertise bids or begin construction.
Background and board discussion Mayor Michael Johnson told commissioners that the original application was submitted in Alpena County’s name before NEEMA was formally established and that USDA counsel requires a revised, joint application. “The county put in the application for recycling for $2,700,000 … It’s in the county’s name,” Johnson said, and the solution presented to the board is to submit “the same application … except that NEEMA has to be in it.”
Johnson said NEEMA would administer the project and that the county would not be required to perform day‑to‑day project administration: “All the money … will be in that joint account … the county doesn’t have to do any of that. We’ll do all the reporting.”
Commissioner John LaHaye moved to approve the joint application and authorize the county’s participation; the motion was seconded and carried on a roll call vote.
What the vote means The board’s approval allows NEEMA staff to complete the revised application and provide the county’s Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) and other requested documentation to USDA. NEEMA representatives said USDA will not transfer its $2.7 million portion until the joint account is established and other bonding/grant commitments are in place.
Implementation details and next steps NEEMA staff said they will finalize a draft joint application once the county provides its UEI and a document the transcript labeled “NOFI” (not available during the meeting). NEEMA staff expect to submit the revised application to USDA and — if USDA approves — to move to the procurement phase, issuing requests for proposals for construction and related services.
Ending Commissioners indicated they expect NEEMA and county staff to circulate the joint‑application paperwork for signatures once the UEI and other required paperwork are available, and NEEMA asked to be notified as USDA moves the application forward.
