Oak Park village president Vicki Scaman is representing Oak Park at the White House for a “Communities in Action” forum Feb. 1.
Participants will discuss ways U.S. President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris’ administration has invested in communities across Illinois and Indiana.
About 80 elected officials and organization leaders from Illinois and Indiana were invited to the meeting, according to a news release. Scaman was invited by Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) to participate.
“I look forward to the robust discussion and highlighting the work we are doing in Oak Park on a national stage,” Scaman said in the release.
Scaman is expected to share information at the forum about how Oak Park used American Rescue Plan Act funding, according to the release.
A total of $38.9 million in ARPA funding was allocated to Oak Park in 2021 and 2022, according to the Oak Park “Communities in Action” report. A significant portion went to COVID-19 pandemic mitigation first. Then, about $13.6 million funded Capital Improvement Plan projects related to public safety.
Another $3 million went toward community safety projects, $1.5 million provided tourism support, $1.3 million was allocated to business assistance and $600,000 was awarded to equity initiatives.
In November 2023, Oak Park’s village board also allocated $500,000 in unspent ARPA funding to support migrants. The rest of the ARPA funding has not yet been allocated.
Senior Advisor and Assistant to the President of the United States Tom Perez and U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg will speak at the forum on Feb. 1.