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City staff to start preliminary engineering for downtown revitalization; grant applications planned
Summary
Staff informed council that preliminary engineering for a downtown revitalization project (Vineyard Street from Main to Line and nearby blocks) will begin pending budget approval and that the city plans to apply for an OCCR grant (about $620,000) and a Crossroads matching grant for curb and street work.
City staff told the Columbia City Council that, assuming council approval of the budget, staff will begin preliminary engineering for a downtown revitalization project covering Vineyard Street from Main to Line and one block north and south along Arkansas.
The staff member said the engineering report will begin “sometime spring of next year” and that the city plans to seek multiple funding sources. The staff member said the city will apply for what they described as an OCCR program grant, which they estimated at about $620,000, and will also apply for a Crossroads matching grant for curb and streetscape work.
The staff member said no immediate action was requested of the council at this meeting but warned that future requests for construction funding are likely. “I will probably be asking for some kind of financial part of that when we do construction,” the staff member said, adding a goal to have construction in “27,” a term the speaker did not clarify further during the update.
Staff listed several preliminary budget-line items discussed for planning purposes, saying they had noted professional expenses of $25,000, postage of $300, $3,000 in sale-related costs, $10,000 for engineering and $10,000 for legal expenses. The staff member described those figures as part of early planning and did not present a final budget or a formal appropriation request.
Staff said utility coordination and other technical details will be addressed in the preliminary engineering report. No formal motion, vote or grant award was made at this meeting; staff characterized these as preparatory steps pending budget approval and grant decisions.
