Council holds second CDBG hearing; two city projects cleared for grant contracting

Washington Terrace held a second public hearing Tuesday on two projects selected for 2025 Community Development Block Grant funding: a replacement of playground equipment at Victory Park and a street-accessibility and sidewalk project on the city’s North End.

At the hearing, Amy Rodriguez, grants manager, said the city is completing final application steps and expects to sign a CDBG contract in July if federal and regional processes continue as scheduled.

The Victory Park Playground Improvement Project at 300 East 4400 South will remove weather-damaged equipment purchased when the park was built in 2005 and replace it with new slides, ADA swings, play panels and new surfacing, Rodriguez said. “The unsafe equipment is gone, but it still needs to be updated,” she said.

The North End street accessibility and sidewalk project near Roanoke Park (600 West 5100 South) will add curbing, ADA ramps, a crosswalk and traffic signage, remove and replace an existing fence, and install a retaining wall and landscaping to create a safer entrance, Rodriguez said.

City staff told the council that the regional rating and ranking process awarded $116,807 toward the North End project (total estimated cost $189,930) and $65,000 toward the Victory Park project (total estimated cost $200,880). Staff said the applications are complete except for one remaining item and that both projects are on the city’s capital improvement plan.

No members of the public spoke during the hearing. Council members expressed support for the improvements; Council member Cheryl said she was “looking forward to the improvements” and called the North End entrance “quite a safety issue.”

If the CDBG contract is executed in July, staff said the city expects to put both projects out to bid in July or shortly thereafter and to proceed to construction according to the selected contractors’ schedules.