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Canyon staff give progress report on downtown and multimodal projects, secure federal grants
Summary
City staff updated the commission on downtown projects including phased improvements to 15th Street (railroad crossing), sidewalks near schools, Ninth Avenue, and a potential Fourth Avenue square project; staff said they have secured more than $5 million in grant funds and identified required local matches.
City staff told the Canyon City Commission they have advanced multiple downtown improvement projects, secured federal grant commitments for several phases and continue coordination with TxDOT, the MPO and Canyon ISD.
Joe (staff member) and other staff outlined a phased approach to improvements on 15th Street, including a complete rebuild of the railroad crossing in coordination with BNSF. Staff said phase 1 will include pedestrian improvements at the crossing; the BNSF crossing work may cost about $600,000 to $700,000 for that element alone. Staff reported the MPO committed $2,250,000 in federal funds to the project and the city's required local match for that grant is about $545,000.
Staff reported they have secured more than $5 million in outside grant funds for a set of downtown projects and are seeking additional local matches and sponsorships, including requests to the Canyon Economic Development Corporation for contributions and plans to use dedicated street-fund savings. Several downtown sidewalk projects are already advanced: the Eighth Street project (near Canyon ISD) is nearly 90%-95% in design and includes a 50/50 participation by the school district for the local match; Ninth Avenue improvements (from the junior high toward Riesinger) are also locked into grant funding at an estimated $1,140,000, and staff plan to coordinate the bidding and construction timing with TxDOT projects where possible.
Staff also described long-term ambitions for Fourth Avenue and the downtown square, noting drainage infrastructure is a major constraint. Staff estimated a full square reconstruction could cost $7 million to $10 million with the drainage solution for Fourth Avenue alone estimated at roughly $2.5 million. Those larger-square and Fourth Avenue projects are not yet locked-in grant commitments, staff said.
Other items discussed included a possible public restroom tied to the Chamber of Commerce and motel-tax funding, the location for a proposed playground (staff said the current planned location near the railroad track is under review), and potential use of an EDC-owned lot for parking or small park space to serve downtown events.
Why it matters: Staff said these projects aim to improve pedestrian safety, multimodal connections between schools and downtown, and the downtown gateway to support economic development. Several projects are coordinated with TxDOT so that design and construction can be bundled to reduce costs.
Next steps: Staff said they will continue engineering procurement where required, finalize grant matches and resolutions for TxDOT, meet with Canyon ISD about local participation on sidewalk projects, and pursue additional outside funding for remaining square and park elements.
