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Council explores CDBG funds for park restroom upgrades and storm-drain priorities

Wallsburg Town Council

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Summary

Councilors discussed applying for Community Development Block Grant funding to rehabilitate park restrooms and to support storm-drainage and SCADA work; MAG will assist procurement and the town must complete an engineering procurement before Dec. 15 to be eligible.

At the Nov. 7 meeting the Wallsburg Town Council discussed using Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds for nontraditional projects, including rehabilitating park restrooms to be ADA-accessible and addressing storm-drainage needs. Staff explained the CDBG process has changed and now requires a separate engineering procurement to be advertised before the Dec. 15 deadline.

Council members said making restrooms ADA-accessible would score points in the CDBG ranking system, but they also flagged competing priorities such as storm drainage and SCADA upgrades. The council agreed that a prioritized plan and an immediate procurement step are needed so the town can submit a competitive application. MAG (Mountainland Association of Governments) staff offered to help with engineering procurement and to identify grant opportunities for short-term emergency drainage fixes.

Staff reminded the council the town's LMI (low-to-moderate-income) survey remains valid through 2026, which improves eligibility prospects. Councilors discussed scope trade-offs (for example, whether to tear out and replace septic infrastructure at the park if the project receives full funding) and said they would workshop project scope and procurement details at a Nov. 21 work meeting.

Quotes: “If it comes in with tons of funding and they grab it all, then we could afford to tear up the septic system,” the presiding official said, noting such a scope would be conditional on available funding. MAG staff encouraged the town to develop a master plan for storm drainage and to prioritize immediate emergency needs.

Ending: Staff will pursue procurement steps with MAG and bring scope and cost options to the Nov. 21 work meeting so the council can finalize an application strategy before the CDBG deadline.