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SL4B staff recommend five neighborhood projects, board signals support to add Sugar Creek path
Summary
Staff recommended five FY26 SL4B neighborhood grants (total SL4B requests $279,000) including playgrounds, a perimeter wall and a canopy; Director Vigas urged adding Sugar Creek pedestrian paths for safety and the board signaled support, with staff noting the addition would slightly exceed the $300,000 allocation but could use reserve funds.
Staff presented the FY26 Fostering Unique Neighborhoods grant program and recommended funding five applications while declining two others; board discussion followed and members signaled support for adding Sugar Creek pedestrian paths for safety reasons.
Anna, staff lead for the program, told the joint workshop that the SL4B program funds projects that "empower community groups to revitalize and create unique places" and outlined eligibility and scoring criteria. She said requests must be the lesser of 50% of a project's cost or $75,000 and noted the FY26 SL4B budget is $100,000 (staff later referenced a $300,000 allocation across multiple lines during discussion of totals).
Project summaries and SL4B requests presented by staff included: - Barrington Place: playground and pavilion, total cost $171,000, SL4B request $75,000. - The Highlands: shade canopy for playground, total cost $34,415, SL4B request $17,208. - Colony Grant: new playground and trail furnishings, total cost $107,000, SL4B request $53,870. - Sugar Mill: perimeter wall Phase 2, total cost $385,560, SL4B request $75,000. - New Territory: playground replacement at Veterans Memorial Park, total cost $115,938, SL4B request $57,969. - FCCSA: monuments, lighting and landscaping, total cost $151,826, SL4B request $75,000 (staff did not recommend). - Sugar Creek: Phase 3 pedestrian path with benches and landscaping, total cost $62,418, SL4B request $31,209 (staff initially did not recommend).
After scoring and review, staff recommended approving Barrington Place, Highlands, Colony Grant, Sugar Mill and New Territory (tier 1 projects), which staff said would total $814,000 in project cost and $279,000 in requested SL4B funding. Staff did not recommend FCCSA monuments/lighting and had deemed one arts sculpture application ineligible because the applicant was not a recognized POA/HOA/community group.
Director Vigas argued that Sugar Creek’s request addresses safety: there are no sidewalks and residents must walk or push strollers in the street. He calculated that adding Sugar Creek would exceed the $300,000 allocation by about $10,256, and he suggested using the board’s reserve for opportunities to cover the shortfall. "If we add that $10,256, it's a $62,000 investment. So it's a 1 to 6 investment, the return on our money," Vigas said.
Several board members voiced support; staff said the group would move forward with all tier 1 projects and add Sugar Creek’s pedestrian paths, and that staff would work with HOAs to finalize reimbursement agreements and due diligence before entering into contracts.
No final appropriation or formal vote was recorded during the workshop; staff will prepare funding resolutions and reimbursement agreements for later approval.
