Hardee County approves CDBG application; county pledges match for Civic Center roof and MLK sidewalk

Wauchula, Fla. — At its April 17 meeting the Hardee County Board of County Commissioners voted to submit a Small Cities Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) application and committed county match dollars to prioritize roof repairs at the Civic Center and a sidewalk project on Martin Luther King Boulevard.

The board adopted a resolution authorizing staff to apply for CDBG funding for several proposed projects and directed staff to pursue the grant with a 25% match for the Civic Center roof and a 10% match for the MLK sidewalk. The motion, made by Commissioner Todd Miller and seconded by Commissioner Wells, passed unanimously.

The CDBG application window closes in mid-May; staff said the application deadline is May 16, 2025. Grants staff presented four candidate projects for the county to include: sidewalks near Hardee Senior High (Altman/Stenstrom/Florida Avenue), a west-side MLK Boulevard sidewalk (Sally Place to Carlton Avenue), a Civic Center roof replacement, and a replacement/relocation of the Pioneer Park playground. Staff said all four meet CDBG eligibility but the application can and should show which projects the county is willing to support financially to improve its ranking.

Why it matters: commissioners emphasized the Civic Center roof as an urgent maintenance priority and singled out the MLK sidewalk for public-safety reasons. Applying with local match increases the county’s competitiveness for CDBG funding; if awarded the grant would reduce the county’s direct construction cost but still require local funds to cover the pledged percentage.

Key details and next steps

- Projects presented: MLK Boulevard sidewalk (west side, Sally Place to Carlton Avenue), Altman/Stenstrom/Florida Avenue sidewalk, Civic Center roof replacement, and Pioneer Park playground replacement/relocation. The staff presentation included map excerpts and typical design sketches. - Match options: the county can commit up to 25% match per project to increase application score; match is optional but scores applications higher. The board committed to a 25% local match for the Civic Center roof and 10% for the MLK sidewalk and authorized staff to submit the application for all four projects. Commissioners discussed but did not commit local match for the other two projects. - Cost figures discussed in the meeting (presented by staff or discussed by commissioners) were presented as estimates and were referenced as approximate: Civic Center roof roughly $950,000 (approx.), Stenstrom/Altman sidewalk roughly $450,000 (approx.), MLK sidewalk roughly $338,000 (approx.), and Pioneer Park playground roughly $63,000 (approx.). Staff noted these are planning estimates and that final costs would be refined in later design work. - Other funding pathways discussed: FDOT (TA/HRTPO) and federal sources for sidewalk projects, and potential EDA/EDA-like partners or local economic-development partners for facility repairs. Staff said some sidewalk segments already have federal programming on the east side of MLK but not the west side; duplicative submittals were intentional to increase chances of funding. - Motion and vote: Motion to adopt resolution (authorizing submittal and committing the match percentages described) by Commissioner Todd Miller; second Commissioner Wells. Vote: unanimous.

What the resolution does and limits

The resolution authorizes the county manager or chair to execute documents necessary to submit the CDBG application and to commit the local match percentages for the two prioritized projects. It does not obligate immediate spending beyond the commitment language; if a grant is awarded the county will return to the board with the specific grant agreement and any required budget amendments.

Speakers (selected)

- Topanga (grants coordinator) — presented the CDBG project slate, maps, and timeline (application due May 16, 2025). - Commissioner Todd Miller — moved the CDBG resolution and proposed match percentages. - Commissioner Wells — seconded the motion and spoke to project priorities. - Commissioner Flores, Commissioner Chancey, Commissioner Atchley, Chairman Melendez — participated in the discussion about priorities, funding alternatives, and timing.

Clarifying details

- Application deadline: May 16, 2025, 5:00 p.m. (as stated by staff). - Match percentages approved by the board for this submittal: Civic Center roof 25% (county commitment); MLK sidewalk 10% (county commitment). These percentages increase proposal ranking but were described as commitments the county will have to fund if the grant is awarded and the board ultimately approves the grant agreements. - Cost estimates were presented as approximate planning numbers and were described in the meeting as subject to refinement during design.

Community relevance

The board framed the Civic Center roof as a county facility-maintenance priority (risk of structural damage and mold if delayed) and MLK Boulevard sidewalk as a public-safety priority (pedestrian safety and lighting). The Pioneer Park playground was presented as an accessibility and recreation improvement; the Altman/Stenstrom/Florida Avenue sidewalk was described as supporting student and neighborhood walkability.

Provenance

- topicintro: block_id="block-2002.12" local_start=0 local_end=126 evidence_excerpt="Good morning. I I appreciate your time today. I'm here to present, the small city community development block grant, proposed projects to you." tc_start="00:33:22" - topfinish: block_id="block-3886.65" local_start=0 local_end=124 evidence_excerpt="I have a motion by commissioner Miller... with the county committing to a, 25%, match to the civic center project and a 10% match to the MLK project." tc_end="01:01:26"