Mount Pleasant CDRA: About $274,410 in federal grants approved but frozen, staff says

Mount Pleasant’s Community Development and Redevelopment Agency (CDRA) heard an update April 8 that about $274,410 in federal grants for local projects has been approved but remains frozen amid continuing federal budget uncertainty.

A staff member told the CDRA that two sets of funds are affected: about $114,100 in pending matching-grant applications — including requests for work on the Triangle Apartments and the Wasatch Block building — and roughly $160,310 in National Park Service awards approved during recent continuing-resolution (CR) periods. “They’re frozen,” the staff member said.

Why it matters: the frozen awards include a mix of National Park Service grants and other federal sources earmarked for projects such as Main Street building upgrades, a bike path, the equestrian center and park improvements. The CDRA’s ability to obligate those dollars and notify local partners depends on final federal appropriations or further CR action.

Summary of the funding status provided at the meeting - Pending applications (match-funded grants, CLG plan): $114,100. These are listed as applications that “look good” but remain pending and frozen. The staff member said the applications cover the Triangle Apartments and the Wasatch Block Building. - Approved but frozen (National Park Service awards during CR windows): $160,310. The staff member gave a breakdown of amounts approved during the CR period for Mount Pleasant: $13,000 for City Hall work; $26,000 for the equestrian center; $30,000 for the Royal (facility/name as stated in the meeting); $24,810 for Main Street business grants; $39,500 for a bike path linking Spring City/Mount Pleasant; and $27,000 for park improvements. The speaker noted those awards are “approved, but frozen.” - Total the staff member cited as frozen: $274,410.

The staff member explained how the agency manages awarded federal funds: the CDRA prepares a task review approved by the National Park Service regional office, but the city does not commit or spend funds until the federal transfer (by Fedwire) is deposited. “We tell our partners that the funds will be forthcoming, but we don’t spend any of it until we actually get it deposited by Fedwire in your account,” the staff member said.

Other funding notes discussed - The staff member said there is a separate Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) grant for trail work around the park that is in place and not frozen. - Additional figures mentioned at the meeting included $90,000 from a heritage-area source and $750,000 from another state/federal source, for an aggregate of roughly $2,230,000 noted as available for a larger project; the speaker cautioned that a bid came in at about $1,000,005, indicating there remain costs to cover for project completion.

Board actions recorded in the meeting - A board member moved to approve the minutes from the March 11 regular CDRA meeting; a motion was seconded. The motion was advanced during the meeting record. - The board considered approval of claims: an invoice register dated March 1–31, 2025, in the amount of $17,487.43 was presented and put before the CDRA. (The transcript records the motions and a second; an explicit roll-call vote tally is not recorded in the provided transcript excerpt.)

Meeting context and next steps The staff member said the frozen status stems from federal continuing resolutions and uncertainty in the federal budget process; as a result, projects and partners that had counted on the funding must wait for a final appropriation or direction from the funding agencies. The CDRA will monitor federal action and update partners when funds are actually released.

A staff member’s update and board questions during the April 8 meeting covered the grant breakdown and logistics such as parking and event organization for a recent rodeo; the meeting transcript did not record a detailed timetable for when frozen funds might be released.

Ending note: the CDRA was careful to note that no local expenditures against the frozen awards have been made and that the city will not disburse funds until federal transfers are received.