Spartanburg council approves ARPA parks strategy including activity bus and pool repairs

Spartanburg City Council on Jan. 13 approved a parks-and-recreation spending strategy using American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds that staff and council said aims to expand access to programs for young people and seniors.

The plan, presented by Deputy City Director Mitch Kennedy and Parks and Recreation Special Events Director Kim Brown, directs ARPA dollars toward a single large activity bus, maintenance and facility upgrades at CC Woodson and other community centers, wayfinding and audio-visual improvements, neighborhood park repairs at Chapel Street Park and a community-driven planning process for Irwin Park and continued investments at Duncan Park.

Council and staff framed the package as a mix of one-time capital repairs and services intended to remove barriers to participation. Kim Brown said transportation is a core obstacle: "Transportation becomes a big barrier when it comes to out of school time programming," and described summer camps, swim team travel and teen outreach programs that are constrained by the department's current ability to move participants between centers and activity sites.

Staff recommended purchasing an activity bus available on state contract for about $145,000. The vehicle described by staff would be configured to carry up to 72 youth or 40…