City staff and consultants updated the Berry City Council on Aug. 26 on the status of CDBG‑DR (Community Development Block Grant – Disaster Recovery) pre‑applications and state feedback, and described a schedule that targets full applications due Sept. 30.

Nut graf: After state guidance, the city reduced several project scopes — notably trimming a North End Gateway concept and removing daycare and grocery components from the CDBG‑DR housing application — and converted some infrastructure requests to planning grants so they can be competitive.

Manager and grant staff summarized the program timeline: pre‑applications were submitted Aug. 5; full applications are due Sept. 30 with an anticipated decision Nov. 20; a second round was possible Dec. 18 with decisions in February. Staff said $67 million statewide is available for recovery, with most funds targeted to Washington County because of the 2023 floods.

Key project changes after state review: the North End Gateway project was scaled down to a $10 million total request; daycare and grocery elements were removed as outside the grant’s intended scope; recreation components tied to floodplain work were advised to be submitted separately. Staff said the North End concept would retain buyouts in flood‑prone parcels, acquisitions for redevelopment on selected lots, and elevations where acquisition was not feasible. The proposal lists seven buyouts and seven acquisitions and several elevations on property owners who had previously signaled interest.

The state advised that the city’s broad stormwater‑upgrade request be reworked as a $1 million planning/design grant rather than a large construction request, because the projects identified were not yet shovel‑ready. Staff described similar advice for the Potash Brook work. Projects that were already design‑ready — Willey Street and Harrington Avenue work — remain in the package. Grant writers, regional partners and municipal staff said they will hold a public hearing on Sept. 23 to satisfy CDBG‑DR public‑notice requirements.

Staff emphasized the competitive environment: roughly $160 million in applications had been submitted statewide and reviewers urged applicants to prioritize shovel‑ready, housing‑related proposals. Final applications due Sept. 30 will reflect those edits, and staff said they plan to submit in the first round to avoid leaving potential funding on the table.

Ending: The manager and grant team will finalize full applications by the Sept. 30 deadline, hold the required public hearing on Sept. 23, and continue outreach to property owners in the North End quadrant to confirm interest in buyouts, acquisitions or elevations.