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Council agrees to pursue CDBG application for Lopez Food Center; public hearing set for Aug. 26 special meeting
Summary
San Juan County will apply for up to $2 million in Community Development Block Grant funds on behalf of the Lopez Food Center to build a combined food hub, pantry, recovery café and commercial kitchen; council set a special public hearing Aug. 26 and agreed to waive the 15% indirect rate to allow the nonprofit full access to construction dollars.
The San Juan County Council voted Aug. 5 to apply for Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds on behalf of the Lopez Food Center and set a special public hearing for Aug. 26 to meet CDBG notice requirements.
Mark Tompkins, director of Health and Community Services, and Kristen Reza Beck, health and nutrition program coordinator, described the Lopez Food Center’s plan for a combined facility to house the Lopez Food Share pantry, the Heart and Soul recovery café, refrigerated distribution space for the San Juan Islands food hub and a commercial kitchen for small-food business incubation. The project has raised a majority of required funds through private foundations and a state appropriation; the Lopez Food Center requested the county submit a CDBG application for the $2 million construction grant to close the gap.
Because Washington State’s Commerce Department requires a public hearing and a jurisdictional applicant for this funding, the council set a special meeting for Aug. 26 at 9:15 a.m. to hold the required public hearing. Tompkins said the CDBG process now uses a two-part application and the county has completed the eligibility step; the public hearing is the required next step.
Unique terms: The Lopez Food Center asked the county to apply for the full $2 million and to allow the nonprofit to access all grant funds for construction. To enable that, the council agreed to waive the county’s standard 15% indirect rate on grants so the nonprofit could use the entire award for construction rather than county overhead. Tompkins said the Lopez Food Center has committed to pay county staff time to administer any awarded grant and will donate unrestricted funds to help with administration if needed.
Outcome/next steps: Council approved setting an Aug. 26 public hearing (special meeting) and signaled support to apply. Staff will publish required notice and prepare material per Commerce guidance; the county manager’s office and prosecutor’s office will review necessary agreements. Council members expressed strong support, citing food security needs and the project’s roles in commercial kitchen access and accessibility for people with disabilities.
Ending: Tompkins said staff will circulate the required Commerce notice and follow the CDBG two-part process; council will consider the final application after the required hearing and any public comment.
