Holtville staff propose federal grant applications for Cedar Avenue repairs and Mellon Avenue curb-and-sidewalk work

Holtville City staff presented two candidate projects for federal funding and asked the City Council to review them ahead of formal application deadlines.

The staff presentation said the first project would complete Cedar Avenue between Fourth and Fifth streets, a section described as “in pretty rough shape comparatively,” and the second would add curb, gutter and sidewalk on the east side of Mellon Avenue from Eighth to Ninth streets, with a longer-term goal of extending improvements from Sixth to Ninth.

Staff said the Cedar Avenue segment was prioritized because it carries much of the city’s traffic off Interstate 8 and that the Mellon Avenue work would improve drainage where runoff currently pools at Mellon and Ninth. “Every time we do have a significant rain event, that area floods … it tends to stand there for long periods of time,” the staff member said, explaining the project would improve conveyance and reduce recurring maintenance of an earthen ditch.

Why it matters: staff told the council these projects are strong candidates for two federal sources discussed in the meeting: a federal highway funding call (described in the transcript as the county/state allocation process) and CMAQ (Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality). Staff said federal reviewers this year expect detailed, bonafide projects to be scored through the local scoring body (referred to in the transcript as “SCAD”) rather than the county simply dividing a pot among cities, increasing the importance of clearly scoped work.

Staff also said a formal resolution committing local match will be required before application. The staff member said the city must commit to an 11.47% local match and estimated the local share would be “approximately $83,000” for the projects as currently scoped, with the grant application due mid‑May: “This is due May 16,” the staff member said.

Council discussion centered on project selection, timing and scoring. Staff described phasing the Mellon Avenue work in chunks and emphasized that having housing planned near Mellon and Ninth, plus expected student pedestrian routes to the high school, should strengthen the CMAQ application. The staff member said project packaging matters because Federal Highway has reduced some county-level bonus points this year and projects will be evaluated on their merits.

No formal vote or resolution was recorded in the transcript on these grant applications. Staff asked for the council’s “blessing” to continue preparing the submittals and said staff will return with firm cost estimates and a resolution committing the local match before final submission.

Clarifying details from the meeting: staff identified the two candidate projects as Cedar Avenue (Fourth to Fifth) and Mellon Avenue (east side, Eighth to Ninth; longer-term Sixth to Ninth). Staff said stormwater currently ponds near Mellon and Ninth, that there is an open earthen ditch that needs improving, and that truck traffic near the packing shed and expected nearby housing and school pedestrian routes strengthen the project case. Staff repeatedly stated the grant application deadline of May 16 and the approximate 11.47% match requirement and put the city estimate of the local share at about $83,000 (staff provided a preliminary, not-final figure).

Next steps: staff said they will prepare full project documentation, coordinate with the city engineer, and return to the council with the formal resolution and refined cost figures before submitting the applications.