Kingsburg council approves $3,000 microgrant for Swedish telephone booth on Draper Street

The Kingsburg City Council on March 18 approved a staff recommendation to award up to $3,000 in microgrant matching funds to the Kingsburg Downtown Business Improvement District for construction of a traditional Swedish telephone booth to be placed in a downtown bump-out on Draper Street.

City Manager Alexander Henderson summarized the application, saying the total project cost is $6,600 and that the applicant has secured $600 in private donations. Staff determined the proposal meets the microgrant rubric and recommended approval and a budget amendment to reflect the expenditure.

Leslie Carpenter, chairperson of the BID, told the council the BID voted to assume future repairs and maintenance of the booth and that Fugazi's (the property-adjacent business) supports the installation. "We also...voted in our last meeting that we would assume repairs and maintenance of the telephone booth going forward," Carpenter said.

After brief council discussion about timeline and construction responsibilities, a council member moved to approve the microgrant and authorize the budget amendment; the motion was seconded and passed by voice vote. Mayor Smith announced, "Motion carries." The action was recorded as an approval of up to $3,000 in matching funds for the project.

The council did not specify a construction schedule in the staff motion; Carpenter said the contractor (S and S) has not provided a complete timeline but indicated the BID will prioritize the project once funding is secured. The booth will be solar-lit and will replace a recently removed tree at a city-owned bump-out on Draper Street.