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Advisory board approves letter certifying participation in RCG report, presses for quick closeout of childcare grant
Summary
The Opportunity Advisory Board voted to approve a letter to the Governor's Office of Economic Opportunity certifying the board's advisory participation in last year’s rural community grant reporting. Members pressed the Moab Area Community Land Trust to finish permitting and procurement steps so the county remains eligible for future RCOG funding.
The Opportunity Advisory Board voted to approve a letter to the Governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity certifying that the board participated in advising the Grand County Commission on last year’s Rural Community Grant (RCG) work. Chair Chris Wilson moved to approve the letter and Melissa Jeffers seconded; the chair called the vote and recorded the measure as approved.
The vote followed a detailed update about the Moab Area Community Land Trust project that used RCOG/RCG funds to build infrastructure at Arroyo Crossing. Board members said the land trust has spent most of its award—about $178,000–$182,000 of a roughly $300,000 grant—and needs county approvals to finish the project and close the grant. “The Lutheran church owns the property, and they have free rent at that property,” Chris Wilson said when summarizing site ownership and the planned modular classroom. Forrest Rogers added that the Missouri Synod Church has agreed to host a modular classroom and that the project still requires several permits: “...commitments from that family and through the synod ... to allow a modular building, office building, or classroom building to be installed on their property,” he said.
Board members explained why closing out the land trust contract on a faster timetable matters: the county’s ability to apply for new RCOG funds depends on completing prior contracts or showing substantial progress before the application deadline. Wilson said the county’s RCOG applications are due by Oct. 31 and that the land trust will need final plat approval and county sign-off on contractor procurement to demonstrate progress. “As long as the project is substantially completed or the funds have been encumbered out of the land trust’s hands,” Wilson said, the county can remain eligible to apply, he said.
Several members urged local planners and county staff to prioritize the outstanding steps so the land trust can put the project out to bid and complete construction on schedule. The board also discussed administrative differences between the RCG subgrant structure (where the county issues subgrants and the subgrantees report to the county) and other county-administered grants; members noted that in some cases, funds are considered distributed once the county releases them, while RCOG closeouts require additional documentation and approvals.
The board’s approval of the letter certifies that it met its statutory advisory role in the year’s reporting process; the measure does not indicate the board provided direct consultation on each project’s technical details. The board adjourned after setting follow-up steps to help the land trust clear plat and procurement requirements ahead of the county’s application timeline.
