Boonville holds CDBG public hearing for Kemper/YMCA childcare renovation; city to pursue grant

Consultants and city staff told the Boonville City Council on Oct. 7 that the city will re-run a federally required public hearing as part of its Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) application for renovations at the Kemper facility, an old military academy the city plans to convert to expanded YMCA childcare.

Lincoln Brown, the consultant presenting on behalf of the applicant, said the total project cost is roughly $6,838,000 and the city is seeking the CDBG program's maximum request of $500,000 to close a funding gap. "The maximum grant to ask is $500,000. That's what you guys are asking for to get you across the finish line," Brown said during the hearing.

Brown and staff described environmental and regulatory steps required if the city receives award money. Because prior site assessments and environmental reviews are more than five years old, Brown said some work will need to be updated and the project will require a federal NEPA-level environmental review that conforms to CDBG rules. He also noted asbestos inspections previously conducted and said lead paint abatement is included in the grant budget. "Anything that was done prior to about 5 years ago needs to be updated," Brown said.

Brown added the project involves buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places and that designs will need to meet State Historic Preservation Office requirements and conform to historic appearance standards. He also said tribal consultation may be required because Cooper County tribes with potential interest must be given notice, though he indicated the site is already disturbed and impacts are unlikely.

City staff ran a section-by-section needs assessment with the council during the hearing to update a two-year-old survey required by the CDBG application process. Councilors and attendees shifted infrastructure priorities — including streets, sidewalks and stormwater — into a consolidated infrastructure category to be considered among the top priorities for funding.

After soliciting public comment, staff reported there were no comments specific to the CDBG hearing and closed the hearing. The council later passed a resolution authorizing the mayor pro tem to prepare and submit application documents to the Missouri Department of Economic Development as the state administrator for CDBG funds. The resolution states the city will commit $6,337,389 in local cash and in-kind administrative labor to the project in its application.

The next procedural steps identified by staff and the consultant include updating environmental site assessments, completing required NEPA documentation, obtaining historic-preservation clearances from the State Historic Preservation Office and any needed tribal consultation before design and construction work can proceed.