News Photo by Steve Schulwitz Nick Adamiak, an Alpena firefighter, on Wednesday, shows off some old radios used to communicate during emergencies. The department is expecting federal funds for more modern ones.

ALPENA — Alpena officials exhaled a little on Wednesday after President Donald Trump pulled back from a funding freeze he instituted for federal grants and loans on Tuesday.

Trump pulled back on his spending freeze after a federal judge placed a temporary block on it late Tuesday when attorney generals from several states challenged his action in federal court.

Putting a hold on federal funding to local government and organizations may have impacted local projects and vital community services.

Local leaders were still learning more about the legality of Trump’s action and what it could mean for their communities and missions.

Alpena Fire Chief Rob Edmonds said he was concerned about a federal grant the fire department was expecting that would be used to purchase communication gear for firefighters and $1.5 million in federal funding that would pay for more than half of the cost for a new aerial fire truck.

“I am relieved the federal spending freeze has been delayed as we have two high-impact grants that could have potentially been compromised,” Edmonds said. “We have an Assistance to Firefighters grant through FEMA for 800MHz mobile radios and a Congressionally Directed Spending grant that would fund approximately 51% of the purchase of our new aerial platform apparatus. Both of these could have been jeopardized if the federal spending freeze were to happen.”

Alpena Mayor Cindy Johnson said she was concerned about how the funding freeze would impact the local recycling project and the Northeast Michigan Material Management Authority’s effort to construct a new recycling center.

The federal government pledged money to help build the new facility at the corner of Airport Road and M-32, and there was some concern that if the funding freeze stood, it could impact progress.

Johnson said Trump’s mandate wouldn’t have impacted only the recycling project, but possibly some city plans.

“I am relieved the executive order was rescinded,” Johnson said. “It’s good to see the voices of those affected being heard. The administration needs to take a more thoughtful approach moving forward and recognize the importance of programs that directly benefit people and communities. The right balance is crucial in ensuring that initiatives are effective while also being fair and equitable.”

On Tuesday, Alpena City Manager Rachel Smolinski said if the funding freeze remained in place it could have delayed the planned redevelopment of Culligan Plaza. The city received money from the Michigan Economic Corp., however, it is from federal money that was allocated to the state to pass on.

Alpena County Administrator Jesse Osmer said he didn’t think the county would be impacted much, had the freeze moved forward. He said it was possible that a reimbursement for expenditures for the Emergency Management Department could have been delayed, but the payment doesn’t come until the end of the year and he said the county would have had to react to losing the nearly $5,000 loss in federal government money.

Osmer said politicians need to explain their actions more clearly to prevent confusion and create panic and fear.

“I read the order and accompanying documents and was able to understand the intent, however, I can also understand how some may have found it confusing,” Osmer said. “In my opinion, this was a failure on the part of the bureaucrats who were tasked with executing the order in a manner that translated to those entities who receive these forms of federal funding.”

Alpena Township Supervisor Abbi Kaszubowski said federal funding, grants, and loans are a great way to accomplish things, but they aren’t the end all for local government and if the freeze had been implemented, she would have worked hard to find other means to get things done.

“A calm mind is our greatest ally in times of confusion,” she said. “It is also best to keep an open mind and use a steady hand to evaluate all available information when we are presented with changed circumstances. As the township’s supervisor, it would not be productive, nor would it benefit the community, if I did anything less than that. My background in emergency healthcare has taught me that, regardless of the situation, we will adapt and overcome and that applies here just as much as it does there. Federal funding, like state funding, is a wonderful tool. But, it is one of many tools at our disposal, and one we use discriminately, when appropriate, for reasons like this.”