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Saginaw council approves submission of federal Outdoor Recreation Legacy grant for Riverfront Park
Summary
City council voted to authorize submission of an Outdoor Recreation Legacy Program application for the Saginaw Riverfront Park. City consultants said the application — due April 1 — requires a 50% match the city currently meets and that state and federal environmental and historic-preservation reviews are under way.
The Saginaw City Council on March 1 authorized staff to submit an application to the National Park Service’s Outdoor Recreation Legacy Program for the Saginaw Riverfront Park project.
Wayne Hoffman, a consultant with Wade Trim speaking on behalf of the city’s Public Services Department, told the council the application is due April 1 and is a nationwide competition targeted at urban and disadvantaged communities. “It requires a 50% match,” Hoffman said, and he told the council the city’s previously committed funding brings the local match to about 52%.
Hoffman said the team is requesting federal funds for the remainder of the current estimated project cost and that state and federal environmental reviews, including the Section 106 historic-preservation review, are being completed before submission. He also noted the city had applied in January to the Michigan Economic Development Corporation for a $1,000,000 revitalization and placemaking grant; if awarded, that funding could reduce the federal request and be used to amend the application.
The council’s resolution authorizing submission does not set a final federal award and only approves sending the state application that will be vetted before reaching the National Park Service. The grant, Hoffman said, accepts requests up to $15,000,000; the dollar amount discussed in the presentation was reported by staff as approximately $6,000,798 for the federal/state request and earlier local commitments for design and prior Michigan enhancement funds. The exact federal award and any subsequent grant agreements will be subject to federal review and conditions.
The council approved the resolution during the resolutions section of the meeting by voice vote.
City staff said the project design team — named in the presentation as SCAPE and Spicer — is leading the environmental and historic-preservation work required for federal review. Hoffman said, to his knowledge at the time of the presentation, the city was the only applicant in Michigan for the Outdoor Recreation Legacy Program, a fact he called “good” for the city’s competitiveness.
The timeline presented by staff anticipates a federal decision later in the year after state and national review. If the city receives both the MDNR/State review clearance and a federal award, city funding previously identified for design and riverfront improvements will serve as the required local match.
