Project engineer previews city website, 25 grant applications and multi‑year plan for roads, parks and water

Dave Brent, the city’s project engineer, gave a detailed demonstration of a new public-facing project website and outlined an active grant-seeking program that staff say has produced roughly 25 applications seeking about $2.5 million in awards so far.

Brent told the council the website groups content under departments (engineering, transportation planning, project engineering and construction engineering) and provides downloadable graphics, conceptual plans and grant timelines that show application dates and expected award notification windows.

“This new website lets us be very open and transparent with what’s going on,” Brent said. “When you have those plans in place, now you can go after grants.”

Why it matters: staff said many road and transportation grants require the project to be on a federally functional classification list (arterial or collector). Brent said the city is pursuing updates to that classification for several streets to expand eligibility for programs such as TIB and STBG. He said projects already federally classified are more likely to be fundable and that the city plans to coordinate chip‑seal and arterial preservation work with grant-funded projects.

Key projects and programs Brent described: • Active transportation and downtown beautification: conceptual plans and TIB/TIV applications, with an award notification date shown on the site (Nov. 20 for one recent submittal). Brent said the site includes click-through project packets and conceptual cost schedules. • Arterial preservation: an arterial preservation application that targets roughly five miles of road for chip sealing if funded, with staff proposing to pair federal funds and local funds to extend work to local access streets. • Sidewalks (Sandy Williams Community Connections): a sidewalk infill package covering the south end from 6th to 18th intended for a state sidewalk program that staff said is competitive but well‑packaged using drone ortho imagery. • Parks and recreation: a phased pickleball/futsal project that staff described in three phases (hardscape and parking; nets/fencing and specialized equipment; and a potential future cover). Brent said a 50/50 RCO grant could substantially reduce local capital outlay for phase 1, which he estimated at about $400,000 for hardscape and related site work. • Small park parking and striping projects: a proposed parking conversion at Parkway ballfields (an approximate project budget Brent cited near $72,000) and a Canal Road restriping/parking project Brent estimated at about $36,000 to improve parking supply and slow traffic. • Water and sewer: lining aging concrete sewer pipes to extend service life (staff cited lining as a cost-effective option with possible USDA funding) and continued work on a reclaimed water extension project tied to an STBG-funded effort. • Freight and the North–South arterial: Brent said staff are pursuing federal reclassification of an unbuilt north–south arterial so the project will be eligible for multi-year funding packages; he cited examples from other municipalities that took years to assemble funding once plans were in place.

Brent described using drone ortho imagery and GPS ground control to speed conceptual design and produce accurate mapping for grant applications. “The quickest way to do conceptual plans is to fly it with a drone or ortho photo, and then you can draw over the top of that,” he said.

Council reaction: councilmembers praised the transparency of the website and Brent’s approach to pairing planning with grant applications. One councilmember said Brent’s energy and technical skills made it easier for the council and public to see what staff are pursuing.

What staff will do next: Brent said staff will keep the site updated with application statuses, cost estimates and award dates; continue to pursue federal classification updates; and refine grant packages for multiple funding sources when a project sits on a federally fundable route.

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