The Bluff Town Council approved inviting Uncommon Architects to the town’s Design Review Committee meeting on Feb. 6 and asked staff to prepare focused guidance so the architects can match design recommendations to available grant funds.

Malia Collins told the council Uncommon Architects "want to meet with all decision makers of the project to discuss project goals, uses, pain points, priorities, etcetera." The council agreed it should prepare a prioritized list of required and desired spaces (for example, offices, preschool/classroom, shared community spaces) and send questions to staff before the Feb. 6 DRC meeting to make that session constructive.

Council members discussed funding constraints. The council noted $1,000,000 in USDA grant funding for the project (with a $200,000 pass-through portion managed by the Rural Utah Project Education Fund) and said available funds are currently sufficient for a "face-lift" — basic building repairs and upgrades — but not for a full programmatic retrofit. Malia and staff said the pass-through partner is overseeing window replacement and has funds to replace as many as 12 of the oldest single-pane windows.

Project administration updates: the council learned the project officer assigned to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)-related grant has been reassigned and a new officer will be named; the town will retain the project financial specialist (Sina) who handles drawdowns. Staff reported they attempted a first drawdown but had not yet received funds; staff said a subaward agreement with the Rural Utah Project Education Fund will be needed to proceed and that Lanise provided a draft for council review.

The council also reviewed outreach and partnership concerns: Uncommon will be asked to produce guidance appropriate to the town’s cultural context and to advise what can be achieved with the funding on hand. Councilors emphasized the need for clear DRC meeting invitations to all partners and asked that decision-makers be present for the Feb. 6 meeting.

Why it matters: The Cooperative Cultural Center is the town’s primary community facility project; architectural direction and clear agreements with pass-through partners will shape how grant funds are spent and which parts of the building are prioritized for upgrades.

What’s next: Staff will circulate a prioritized list of project goals, complete or finalize the subaward agreement for review, and confirm logistics and participants for the Feb. 6 DRC meeting.