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Saint Charles misses state road grant as water-main work continues, Spicer says
Summary
Spicer engineers told the Village of Saint Charles council the village did not receive a State "category B" road grant, but Phase 1 water-main work — including replacement of four lead service lines — is nearly complete; a project plan for additional financing is due June 1 and will compete statewide.
Austin of Spicer Engineering told the Village of Saint Charles council that the village was not selected for a State "category B" road funding grant in the latest round and that the grant program has expended its appropriations, removing that specific funding option for the near future.
The engineering consultant said Phase 1 of the village’s water-main project is using remaining contingency funds to replace four lead service lines uncovered during the TMF project and that work should finish in the next few weeks. "Start with the bad news. The village did not receive a category b grant for road funding," Austin said. He added the consultant had secured one lifecycle grant in an earlier phase.
Spicer reported Phase 2 has been delayed by a federal shutdown affecting USDA Rural Development financial reviews; an Eagle project manager has been assigned and the village must submit a detailed project plan by June 1 to compete for the next funding round. The plan will include village statistics, demographics and financial impacts to help scoring. Austin said the process could push construction into 2027 or 2028 depending on the project scope and funding.
On the Safe Routes to School program, the consultant said corridor modeling and sidewalk profiling are complete, an archaeological survey is under way, EGLE permits for wetland and floodplain impacts are being finalized, and right-of-way waiver work has begun to allow the village to retain ownership of sidewalk areas.
Councilmembers expressed surprise that no Saginaw County municipality won the state road grant and discussed whether factors such as previous awards or legislative influence played a role. Austin noted the village had previously received a grant two years earlier that may have affected scoring in this round.
The consultant recommended working with the EGLE representative and the assigned project manager to finalize the June project-plan submission and improve scoring competitiveness. The village will continue lead-service replacements and prepare the documentation for the next funding opportunity.
