River Falls UAB endorses city's application for USDOT BUILD grant to reconstruct downtown and replace aging utilities
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Summary
The Utility Advisory Board voted to support the City of River Falls's USDOT BUILD grant application for a downtown reconstruction project that would replace century-old water and sewer mains, underground selected electric lines and seek up to $25 million in federal BUILD funds; staff said the preliminary project cost is about $31.8 million with ~ $9.9 million for utility work.
The Utility Advisory Board on Jan. 26 voted to endorse a staff-led application to the U.S. Department of Transportation's BUILD grant program to fund downtown reconstruction that would replace aging water and sewer mains and underground electric lines.
The endorsement documents the municipal utilities' commitment to fund necessary utility replacements as the local contribution if the city is awarded federal BUILD funds; the BUILD application is due Feb. 20. Public works manager Erica Ellifson told the board the program allows awards up to $25 million and described project limits that include Main Street from Division to Cascade Avenue, Second Street from Division to Spring Street, and the 100-block streets between Main and Cascade, with an additional portion of Union Street under consideration.
Ellifson said the project would replace mainly 4-inch and 6-inch water mains that are more than a century old, replace sanitary sewer pipe constructed largely of clay tile and older laterals that can create shared services for businesses, and underground electric wiring where practical in alleys and along the riverwalk. Staff presented a preliminary opinion of probable cost of $31,800,000 for the full reconstruction and said roughly $9,900,000 of that figure would be the utilities' portion.
City administrator Scott Simpson and other staff emphasized that planning and construction would be a multi-year effort even if funded: staff described planning and design phases in 2029'30 and a potential construction window in 2031'32 if the city is successful. Simpson said BUILD awards generally come with multi-year spending windows and staff cited 2034 as a likely deadline to complete grant-eligible expenses. Staff told the board that if the BUILD application is unsuccessful, the city would still have to address the water and sewer needs but could pare back scope and consider alternate phasing, financing or assessments.
Board members and members of the public pressed staff on the likely impacts to downtown businesses during construction, the risk of scope creep, and whether property assessments could be necessary without grant funding. Staff said the city intends to phase work, coordinate closely with business owners and the chamber for marketing and access plans, and that the BUILD model can avoid typical property assessments that might otherwise be considered for utility-only reconstruction.
The board voted to approve a resolution documenting the utilities' support for the BUILD application and to include a letter of support with the submittal. Chairman Lick said the endorsement is "very important" to the city's chance to compete for the grant; the motion passed by voice vote.
Next steps: staff will finalize the application by Feb. 20, continue project scoping and public engagement during the planning years, and return to the UAB and city council with more detailed cost, phasing and financing information as the project advances.
