Coon Rapids accepts state watershed grant to buy trommel and expand street sweeping

Coon Rapids City Council voted to accept a watershed-based implementation grant from the Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources and approved a cost-share agreement to buy equipment and expand street sweeping. Council adopted resolution 25-64 on a unanimous voice vote.

City staff said the grant will pay for a trommel to process street sweepings so material can be reused and disposal costs reduced, and will fund two additional sweepings per year for three years in environmentally sensitive parts of the city. Public works staff described the arrangement as a supplement to an earlier grant from the local watershed district and said the combined funding will lower disposal costs and improve local water quality.

Public works staff told the council the trommel will allow the city to process collected sediment from curb-and-gutter sweepings rather than dispose of it, and that the extra sweepings aim to reduce the amount of material entering storm drains and downstream waters. Council member Novak moved to adopt the resolution; Butler seconded and the motion carried with all members saying “aye.”

Advocates on the council praised the grant as a use of outside funding to cover equipment and recurring operating costs. Council member Gaskowiak noted the operation and maintenance benefits of more frequent sweeping in sensitive areas and thanked staff for grant work.

The grant agreement was presented without a dollar amount discussed at the meeting; staff said the state Board of Water and Soil Resources is the funding source and that the grant will be paired with local watershed funding. Staff said they will answer detailed follow-up questions and coordinate implementation with the watershed district and public works crews.