County to accept $1.95M commerce grant for Tower Road bridge; auditor outlines ARPA allocations for Exit 21/22 engineering
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Summary
Public works asked commissioners to accept a $1.95 million commerce grant for a permanent Tower Road bridge repair and permission to sign an emergency leachate repair contract; the auditor reported $2.6 million allocated for Exit 21 engineering with roughly $1.8 million remaining and $200,000 proposed to study Exit 22.
Public works told the board it has a $1,950,000 commerce grant to help pay for a permanent repair to the Tower Road bridge; speaker 7 said the grant routing includes administrative and small processing fees and requires prevailing wages and a maintenance commitment. "...it's a $1,950,000 grant to go towards the cost of that Tower Road bridge permanent solution," the presenter said. The grant is out for bid and staff asked for permission to accept the award and to authorize Commissioner Dahl to sign the grant paperwork via DocuSign when it arrives.
Public works also requested authorization to proceed with an emergency contract with AES to repair a leachate lime system needed to keep an operation online; the board expressed support for quick action based on photos and the need for immediate repairs.
Separately, Kaylee McKay of the auditor's office reviewed ARPA funding and said the county was allocated $2.6 million for Exit 21. She reported about $800,000 spent to date on that contract with Woodland and that the remaining contract amount would leave roughly $200,000 proposed for engineering or an assessment of Exit 22 to address overflow issues once Exit 21 goes under construction. "We were allocated the 2,600,000.0 for Exit 21," McKay said. She added that $4.3 million in ARPA cash remains on the direct‑qualification side and explained the county received ARPA funds up front and records projects on a reimbursement basis.
Commissioners asked for timelines and assurances that remaining contract and biological assessment work will meet ARPA rules and be completed in time; staff said engineering is moving forward and they expect to reach 90% design this year and to initiate biological assessment, which can take two to three years of review.
What’s next: Staff will route the commerce grant for signature and proceed with emergency repairs as authorized; the auditor and public works will continue to monitor ARPA obligations and spend down schedules tied to Exit 21 and the proposed Exit 22 study.