WINONA Minn. – Mayor Scott Sherman is hesitant to speculate just yet on how to spend $3 million in municipal relief funds that the city expects from the new Biden American Rescue law. The money’s not yet in hand, the mayor said. In an interview on radio station KWNO, Sherman said it wasn’t appropriate at this point for him to say where the money would go. The Biden law’s broad scope includes $4 billion to Minnesota with $2.5 billion earmarked for local governments and schools. The plan’s goal is to offset revenue losses due to the Co-Vid pandemic. These in many cases include delayed construction and maintenance. “In general, we’re going to be looking to use it wisely,” Sherman said. “We’re going to be looking to use it so it potentially helps to create other funding options.” There are needs, he said, for:
> Heating and cooling upgrades at the senior center in the historic Masonic Temple.
> A new public safety building for the police and fire departments.
> Improvements for the East End Rec Center.
Sherman: Let’s not count chickens before they hatch.