Copperton council backs plan to build second arch for 100th‑anniversary with $70,000 MSD grant

Copperton councilors on Feb. 18 approved moving forward with plans to install a second decorative arch in the town park to commemorate the community’s 100th anniversary. The council said the arch would mirror the existing northwest arch, with masonry sides and wrought‑iron detailing, and that $70,000 in MSD/TRC funds has been identified to pay for the work.

Council discussion focused on timing and grant restrictions. The council’s presiding member said the $70,000 is leftover funding originally allocated for conversion of tennis courts to pickleball courts and that the town must ask the MSD/board of the TRC for an extension of the grant spending deadline, which currently is March 31. “I was able to secure $70,000 with the MSD to be able to do that for this celebration,” the presiding member said during the workshop discussion.

Council members asked whether the arch would use the full grant and whether leftover funds could be redirected to park repairs such as new basketball backboards, repainting court lines or improved pavilion electrical service. Staff said the arch money is a grant with specific allowable uses and that any unspent grant funds typically must be returned. They also said park upgrades and ADA sidewalk ramps are budgeted from different funding buckets.

Councilors asked staff to obtain engineer drawings and to request a three‑ to six‑month extension from the TRC so the project can be completed. The presiding member said he expects design and procurement would be quick and anticipated some savings might be returned to cover other park needs.

The council treated the proposal as a workshop item and asked staff to return with final drawings and formal language for a future consent or action item.