Clintonville seeks grant for repairs
By Bert Lehman
The Clintonville City Council committed $1.8 million to street projects, which was required to apply for federal funds.
The funds are available through the Community Development Block Grant program.
The council approved the resolution at its May 8 meeting by a 9-0 vote. Alderman Steve Kettenhoven was excused from the meeting.
The city of Clintonville is applying for a grant through the public facilities portion of the program. If the city receives a grant, it will use the funds to repair city streets.
There is around $10 million available for distribution through the program. The city’s application is due by the end of this month.
A grant can fund up to 50 percent of the cost of a project to a maximum of $500,000.
The grant program is a competitive one. Municipalities will be notified by the end of July if they have been approved for a grant. Grant amounts depend on how many applications are submitted and the amount of money that is available.
During the discussion of the resolution to commit the funds, City Administrator Sharon Eveland told the council that the resolution, if passed, commits matching funds necessary for the projects to be completed under the grant.
Eveland told the council that in the city’s Capital Improvement Plan, the city had estimates of $1.3 million dollars in street projects. But the preliminary estimates from MSA, the company completing the city’s grant application, to complete those projects came in at $2.4 million.
“That is significantly higher than what we had anticipated or budgeted,” Eveland said. “What this resolution is doing is saying we have the funds and will commit funds to matching the remaining portion that’s not covered by the CDBG, which is a $500,000 ceiling.”
Because the estimates came in higher than expected, Eveland told the council to remember it is an estimate. The city won’t know final numbers for the project until an architectural design study is completed.
“This is something we do deal with every year because they are just estimates,” Eveland said.
Eveland acknowledged concerns regarding the funding, but she said there are different options for the city to cover the fund commitment.
“I am confident in the feasibility to have these funds available to meet the project needs,” Eveland said.
If the city were to receive the grant, it has identified part of Robert Street and 12th Street as possible repair projects to put the funding toward.