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River Falls wins $4M state library grant; multiple business and housing grants pending
Summary
Consultants reported a $4 million state flexible-facilities award for the library, several pending grants for the Saint Croix Valley Business Innovation Center, and discussed federal and state funding prospects for housing, parks and utilities.
At a River Falls federal funding workshop, Merchant McIntyre told City Council members the city secured a $4 million state flexible-facilities grant for a full library interior renovation and that several economic-development grants for the Saint Croix Valley Business Innovation Center remain pending.
Fiona McLeod said the library project “was a $4,000,000 flexible facilities project…we were, thankfully awarded” after a short-notice application cycle last summer. For the Saint Croix Valley Business Innovation Center, she said the city has a pending USDA Rural Business Development Grant for $55,000, an Economic Development Administration expansion request for roughly $2,100,000, and a $350,000 request before Senator Baldwin to renovate and enhance coworking space.
Consultants told the council they will pursue a broad set of funding streams—federal, state and private—to support projects including the Mahan Valley Corporate Park, clean water and wastewater infrastructure, city facility needs such as generator replacement, affordable housing, and parks and trails. They noted federal grant programs often favor transportation, utilities or economic-development framing rather than stand‑alone park projects.
Council members asked about aligning Tax Increment District (TID) dollars with federal funding to support deeply subsidized housing and about translating local project blueprints—such as for the Glen Park pool—into competitive funding applications. Merchant McIntyre said housing is a top local priority but that “a lot of the discretionary funding that’s available at the federal level…comes through the state, and a lot of it…has very high barriers to entry.” The consultants said they will continue to hunt for opportunities and advised leveraging state and local readiness—plans, blueprints and aligned priorities—to make applications more competitive.
Pending awards remain that will affect the city’s capital planning; consultants said successful federal or state awards can free general-fund money for locally funded priorities.
