Rawlins council to apply for Friends of the NRA grant, rescinds earlier WaterSMART application

The Rawlins City Council reviewed two grant-related items on Nov. 2: a proposed application to the Friends of the NRA for $30,000 to support improvements at the city’s indoor shooting range, and a motion to rescind a previous resolution authorizing submission of a Bureau of Reclamation WaterSMART grant application.

Patty Hayes presented the Friends of the NRA grant prospect and told council the award would support replacement of shooting barriers, flooring, target retrieval systems and possible improvements to the range’s lead collection system. Hayes said there is no matching requirement for this grant.

Separately, staff recommended rescinding a prior council resolution that authorized submission of a Bureau of Reclamation WaterSMART grant application to fix the Wood State pipeline, spring boxes and access roads to Sage Creek Springs. The staff member explained that during grant preparation they discovered the city lacked some studies required to score competitively and that the Bureau of Reclamation grant appeared aimed more at agricultural water infrastructure than municipal drinking-water supply; staff concluded Rawlins was not a good fit and therefore recommended rescinding the earlier authorization. The council approved the rescission (online vote recorded as 7 ayes).

Patty Hayes said staff will proceed with the Friends of the NRA application process prior to bringing a final grant-acceptance resolution to council if the grant application is successful.