Patricia Watkins 
QUINCY – From buying land to housing the homeless, to organizing distance learning courses and hiring new employees, “there is not an aspect of public life that has not been affected” by the tens of millions of dollars the city has received under federal COVID relief programs, officials said this week.
Of the approximately $57 million Quincy received in combined American Rescue Plan Act and CARES Act funds, Mayor Thomas Koch’s administration spent $44.3 million on land, school projects, grants for small businesses and nonprofits, creating new positions and more. Of the money spent so far, $17.1 million has gone to COVID testing and vaccine initiatives, improving air circulation in public buildings and other obvious expenses. related to the pandemic.
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The Patriot Ledger got a detailed breakdown of where the city spent the money a week after city councilors slammed the administration for not providing an account of spending after multiple requests. Ward 2 Councilman Anthony Andronico, who last Wednesday criticized the mayor’s office for a lack of information, said auditor Susan O’Connor sent councilors a spreadsheet on Friday that broke down expenses but did not did not put them in context.
“That’s the only information we have. It’s impossible to even make sense of it at this stage,” Andronico said. “Without a background, some of these positions mean nothing. It is important that the administration make a presentation both to the board and to the public. … When we are talking about a substantial sum of money such as this here, it is important that everyone is in the know.”
Koch has discretion over the money and does not need board approval to spend it.
“We were making decisions pretty quickly. (US Rep. Stephen Lynch) made it clear to me that this money needed to be spent to start helping quickly,” Koch told the Patriot Ledger this week. “I looked at it like, ‘What can we do with this money that might not otherwise be a priority in the city budget?’ “
COVID-related expenses
The city partnered with Manet’s Community Health Center early in the pandemic to provide free COVID testing to Quincy residents and, later, to distribute vaccines. A total of $1.8 million has been spent on these efforts, including the recent distribution of rapid tests through the health department.
Quincy also spent $4.92 million almost immediately after schools closed on Chromebooks for students, technology upgrades, training and professional development for remote learning. Another $4 million was spent on repairs to schools and other public buildings, mostly to HVAC systems to improve air circulation.
Clients of Father Bill’s homeless shelter, those assisted by the domestic violence organization DOVE and other vulnerable populations were assisted with hotel rooms and emergency shelter at the YMCA to maintain social distancing, which cost $1.18 million.
Quincy has awarded $2.46 million in grants to a total of 375 small businesses. Businesses were eligible for grants of up to $10,000 to help when doors were closed or operations were severely restricted by COVID regulations. An additional $2.8 million in grants were awarded to nonprofit organizations.
“Everyone was under fire with COVID and we had to step in and help them keep going,” Koch said. “I’m very proud of what we’ve done and I don’t think I would do much different.”
$27.2 million in non-COVID related expenses
More than any other expense, Quincy spent the most federal money buying land and buildings in the city.
The first and largest purchase, $15 million to buy the Munroe Building downtown, was in the spring of 2021.
Koch announced in January 2020 plans to purchase the Munroe Building and construct a 15-story tower to house a campus for Quincy College and city hall offices. Last spring, he asked city councilors to spend $23 million to buy the land and pay some design fees, but the mayor withdrew the request in May when it became clear most city councilors would not support not the plan.
Two weeks later, he announced he would buy the building with COVID money.
Another $4.93 million was used last summer to purchase two lots and a boat launch along the Town River at Quincy Point. Chris Walker, Koch’s chief of staff, called it a unique opportunity to “protect public access to water” and prevent major development. The land adjoins the Souther Tide Mill property.
Quincy spent $310,000 to purchase land at the intersection of Southern Artery and Furnace Brook Parkway, formerly the site of VERC Rental. Koch said part of that property will be swallowed up by a plan to resurface the road and add a sidewalk, and the rest will be a “pocket park.”
The administration has similar plans for an open space on an island at the intersection of Center and West streets. The city spent $548,000 on that land and has since demolished the single-family home that stood there.
The Departments of Natural Resources and Public Works have secured $1.76 million for maintenance, vehicles, programming and design of improvements at Mount Wollaston Cemetery.
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A total of $4.6 million was spent on city payroll expenses, including $3.52 million for cutting $1,500 in checks to each Quincy employee who worked on the front lines during the height of the pandemic.
Another $1.1 million was used to pay 10 employees – seven new full-time employees, two employees whose salaries were previously paid through the Downtown District Improvement Fund and one part-time employee for the center for the elderly.
New positions created include two professional career counselors for secondary schools; a director of community technology integration who will work to provide technology education to disadvantaged groups; three people to focus on securing future state and federal grants; and a Heritage Materials Coordinator working on cataloging artifacts and developing related programming.
The city will use the COVID money to pay an event planner and an institutional relations manager, both of whom were previously paid with DIF money.
Walker said federal money will pay for those 10 positions for two to three years, and then the money will have to come from elsewhere.
What about the rest?
There’s still about $12 million left to spend, and advisers asked Koch and his team to create a poll or seek public feedback on its use. Both Walker and Koch said anyone wishing to intervene could contact the mayor directly.
“There are a number of ideas that are generated from the conversations the mayor has had, and the door is always open,” Walker said. “There is not an aspect of public life that has not been touched by this money.”
Koch said that while he’s not sure where the rest of the money will go, he’s considering several projects related to the city’s history or tourism. One such idea would be to spend part on a naval memorial project in Marina Bay, which would include erecting a statue of The Lone Sailor, Massachusetts first.
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“I think with our shipbuilding and naval service history, it only makes sense,” Koch said. “The whole story is there at Marina Bay. It’s a natural next step.”
The administration has been in contact with the Marina Bay Access Board and Koch said he expects to be able to provide an update on the project in the spring.
Over the past month, city council has been in the throes of budget discussions, with several councilors questioning why certain items were being paid for out of the city budget or by bond, rather than spending COVID money.
General Counsel Anne Mahoney this week called for a $30,000 budget request for new Mount Wollaston bins to come from federal money instead, and last month questioned why the city was borrowing $2.3 million dollars for a new fire truck and ladder truck rather than using American Rescue Plan Act money, as other communities have done.
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Contact Mary Whitfill at [email protected]
