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Hay Bay City program highlights workforce connections as ARPA funding runs out
Summary
Chamber and foundation leaders told the Bay City Commission the ARPA-funded Hay Bay City program produced measurable workforce and storytelling results in Q1, and that the Chamber will maintain archived materials and social pages as the program transitions to regional partners.
The Bay Area Chamber of Commerce Foundation presented a final quarter report on the ARPA-funded Hay Bay City initiative, telling the City Commission on July 6 that the program strengthened employer visibility, connected job seekers to opportunities, and elevated community storytelling.
"The ARPA funding from the city has been fully exhausted," said Sarah Parker, director of workforce development for Hay Bay City and the Chamber foundation, summarizing the program’s mission to support Bay City’s workforce ecosystem and placemaking efforts. Parker said the initiative combined a job-posting platform with direct, relationship-driven workforce services; in the first quarter she cited 16 new employers signed, 80 jobs posted, roughly 9,000 job views, 300 apply clicks and 43 applications, plus 21 resumes and dozens of job-seeker support contacts.
Annabelle Schweiger, marketing and communications manager for the Chamber, described the program’s broader reach: the website and social channels generated substantial traffic and storytelling reach (presented to the commission as hundreds of thousands of job-page views and large social-media impressions). Schweiger said program materials — podcasts, photos and videos — have been archived and will remain available on request.
On the program’s next steps, Schweiger said the Chamber/Foundation will retain the social pages until county funding is fully expended and will route job-page traffic to regional partner Great Lakes Bay Michigan Works so job-seeker services continue after Hay Bay City phases down. Commissioners asked whether the brand or assets had been trademarked; Schweiger said she was not aware of a trademark and that staff would look into it.
The presentation drew both appreciation and questions from commissioners and residents. Commissioner Cubitt thanked staff for the work and pressed for clarity about how archived content and site ownership would be transferred or shared; Schweiger said the Chamber had budgeted archiving and could share materials upon request. Some commissioners expressed regret that the city ARPA funds were exhausted for the program but highlighted that the underlying workforce development activities would persist through partner organizations.
The commission did not take formal action on the report; the presentation concluded with staff and the Chamber committing to follow up on ownership and trademark questions and to maintain connections to regional workforce partners.
