SALEM, MA — Salem will dedicate $2.5 million of its first round of American Rescue Plan Act funding toward improving police and fire radio communication systems.

Mayor Kim Driscoll said the first responder allocation is part of $6.5 million in ARPA funds the city will put toward capital investments. Combined with another $7.5 million in matching grants, the city intends to invest $14 million into these projects.

"Our recovery, capital planning, and finance teams worked carefully to match identified capital needs and projects with uses allowed under ARPA," Driscoll said. "We also worked to align these allocations with the priorities highlighted by the ARPA public input process and with other grant opportunities, to extend the impact of these funds even further.

"While this is only one part of the first phase of Salem's ARPA expenditures, we will continue to seek out ways to amplify the value of our ARPA appropriation when it comes to investing in our parks, roads and transportation systems, infrastructure, school and city buildings, and public safety needs."

The city will also dedicate $1 million to the restoration of Old Town Hall with matching grants of $3 million, and $350,000 to the Willows Pier with $3.25 million in matching grants.

Among the other ARPA designations are $670,000 for Phase 1 of Pioneer Village, $500,000 for Salem High rooftop ventilation, $370,000 for the design of the Ocean Avenue Pump Station, $270,000 for outdoor dining areas, $140,000 for the Community Life Center Kitchen, $140,000 for the Palmer Cove Park project, $100,000 for park and playground repairs and $93,000 for a South Salem Commuter Rail station study.

Go here to find out more about how ARPA funding is being used in Salem.

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)

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