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Commissioners authorize grant applications for Davis Road rebuild and countywide sign replacement
Summary
Cass County authorized submission of a grant application for the Davis Road economic development project (estimated ~$5.3M with a local match of ~$1.07M) and for a countywide sign replacement project (estimated ~$2.5M with a county match up to $250,000) to replace roughly 3,500 signs.
Cass County Commissioners authorized two separate grant efforts during their meeting: an economic development grant for the Davis Road corridor and a federal sign-replacement grant to update regulatory and warning signage across the county.
Jeff Smith of the highway department presented the Davis Road proposal, which would resurface, selectively widen and add a sidewalk or multiuse path between the roundabout and the fairgrounds/Aim High Park. Smith said an engineering assessment estimated total project costs at about $5,300,000 and that the county's local match would be roughly $1,066,000, with right-of-way acquisition included in the estimate. Commissioners voted to approve moving forward with the grant application.
Smith also outlined a countywide sign replacement program following an assessment completed last year. The program aims to replace approximately 3,500 regulatory and warning signs across the county at an estimated total cost of about $2,500,000. The federal grant would be structured as a 90/10 award with the county providing up to $250,000 from highway funds as the match. "We can apply for half of this at a time and come back and do another half later," Smith said, noting logistics and timing could make a single-phase project feasible.
Commissioners voiced support for both applications and authorized staff to proceed. Next steps for both projects include preparing formal grant submittals and coordinating match funding from county highway and LIT (local income tax) funds.
If awarded, the Davis Road project would require additional work on right-of-way and a timetable that accounts for inflation and construction planning. The county will return to the board for contract approvals and project execution details if the grants are awarded.
