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Council discusses town park project and whether parks qualify for infrastructure funds
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Summary
Councilors reviewed the town park project and said prior funders have treated parks as non-infrastructure; members discussed adapting the application to emphasize water, sewer or fire infrastructure to increase eligibility for funding or consider low-interest loans instead of grants.
Council members updated one another on the town park project and on the community's options for securing capital funding.
The chair said funders have repeatedly told them that "parks is not infrastructure," and councilors discussed reframing the project as a rec center or wellness center tied to water, sewer or fire infrastructure to increase the chances of funding through the Community Impact Board (CIB) or similar programs. One councilor noted that some awards in recent rounds had been directed to infrastructure projects, and the chair referenced a reported allocation of about $3,000,000 for related infrastructure work (as stated in the meeting).
Council members discussed pursuing a loan as an alternative if grants are not available. A staff member noted that loans in prior cases had been offered at low interest (the meeting referenced a 3% example) and that the council could adapt an existing application rather than starting from scratch. Several members suggested staff follow up with the funder and with neighboring jurisdictions for advice on how to structure an application.
No formal resolution or application approval occurred during this discussion; councilors asked staff to gather more information and to consider reworking the application to emphasize infrastructure elements where appropriate.