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Todd County agrees to sponsor CDBG application for courthouse rehabilitation
Summary
After a public presentation, commissioners agreed to act as the county sponsor for a Community Development Block Grant application seeking $750,000 (plus a $75,000 matching grant) to fund ADA upgrades, an elevator and other rehabilitation at the county courthouse.
Speaker 4, a public commenter, asked the board to sponsor a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) application to fund rehabilitation of the Todd County courthouse and to help secure a supplemental $75,000 grant to cover required matching funds. “We are asking you please to sponsor HTC in the pursuit of a CDBG grant in the amount of $750,000,” Speaker 4 said, adding that together the two grants would provide about $825,000 for the project.
The presentation said the CDBG funds would focus on ADA compliance: installing an elevator that requires concrete piers, adding a second restroom on the second floor and upgrading electrical and plumbing systems so visitors — especially older residents who cannot climb the two flights of stairs — can access exhibits and the courthouse’s second-floor spaces. Speaker 4 noted prior investment and fundraising efforts dating back to restoration activity beginning in 2016, including an assessment of structural, mechanical and electrical needs performed in 2019 that cost about $19,000 and earlier donations toward the courthouse clock.
County leaders clarified procedural timing and application rules. The meeting moderator noted that CDBG applications must be submitted by a city or county and that the county’s current CDBG award to the senior center is expected to close out in November, meaning this application would proceed only after that closeout. Speaker 4 and others discussed a likely application timeline, with staff suggesting the grant project would move forward in the months after the senior-center closeout.
Following questions, a motion was made and seconded for the county to serve as the sponsor/passthrough for the grant application. Commissioners took a voice vote; the chair called the motion approved. The board did not provide a detailed vote tally during the public record.
Next steps identified in the discussion include county staff working with the presenting group on application timing and ensuring CDBG eligibility requirements are met. No contract awards or construction actions were authorized at the meeting; the motion covered sponsorship/passthrough of the grant application only.
