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Effingham staff pitches $16.3M Ford Avenue RAISE grant, seeks council support for local match
Summary
City staff outlined a $16.3 million Ford Avenue project that includes a roundabout and a connection to Rickleman Avenue and asked the council to support a competitive federal RAISE grant application that would require an estimated local match of about $3.26 million if awarded.
City staff described a proposed application for the federal RAISE grant to fund the remaining work on Ford Avenue, including a roundabout and a complete connection to Rickleman Avenue.
"Farnsworth's estimate is that the total would be $16,327,584," the City Engineer said, and staff explained that an 80% RAISE award would cover roughly $13 million while the city's 20% local match would be about $3,265,517, likely funded from Motor Fuel Tax (MFT) or other local sources. Staff cautioned the grant is nationally competitive and not guaranteed.
Staff also presented a separate Local Public Agency engineering services agreement with Farnsworth Group for $49,274 to study an alternate alignment for Ford Avenue tying into the proposed roundabout and to begin preparation of land-acquisition documents if a feasible alignment is identified. The City Engineer said this contact would be paid from MFT funds.
Council members welcomed the application language and expressed support for pursuing federal funding while noting the city must be prepared for its required local match if the grant is successful. Staff emphasized the city is not committing funds beyond typical preparatory steps until an award is made.
