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Stormwater board directs staff to pursue grant funding for Ellerbusch Road improvements
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Summary
The Town of Newburgh Stormwater Management Board voted April 27 to authorize staff to pursue a federal resiliency grant for Ellerbusch Road after staff said readiness to proceed would improve scoring; the board also reviewed costs, potential bond match and other candidate projects including Third & Polk.
The Town of Newburgh Stormwater Management Board voted April 27 to instruct staff to pursue a federal resiliency grant for improvements on Ellerbusch Road and to begin preparatory work for the application.
Board Chair Lee McClellan called the meeting to order. Town engineer Drew Flavin told the board Ellerbusch Road is scheduled to close around May 4 to allow a temporary culvert installation and described the project as part of a multi‑phase effort; he said the larger main improvements could be five years away without outside funding. Flavin said phase 1 runs from the Old State Road 662 interchange to Southgate and noted phase 1 construction costs are roughly $1.8–$1.9 million (including soft costs), placing the town’s 25% share near current bond resources if awarded a 75/25 federal/local grant.
Flavin and administrative manager Chris Cook described a rapid federal grant opportunity that staff referred to in the meeting as “Bridal Funding.” Staff characterized the program as competitive and said it awards resilience‑focused infrastructure projects that are further along in design. Staff described the grant as a 75% federal / 25% local cost‑share program and said there is a large national funding pool; they also said a per‑project ceiling of about $20 million had been mentioned but that the exact cap and final deadlines were not definitively confirmed by staff during the discussion. Staff said a pre‑application screening was due by May 1 and that the full application window could be in June or July (dates were not fully confirmed in the meeting).
Board members discussed whether to compete with multiple projects or prioritize a single, more shovel‑ready project. Town council liaison Steve Schumacher recommended selecting a single project and giving Flavin and Cook the authority to prepare the stronger application so Newburgh would be “in the bin” when awards were made. Members flagged that population and census‑tract economic metrics can reduce competitiveness for small towns, and noted the town has roughly $1 million in bond funds that could be applied toward a required local match.
After discussion, a member moved to instruct staff to move forward with the Ellerbusch Road option for the federal application; a member seconded and the motion carried by voice vote. The mover was not identified by name on the record; Bill Reesbacher is recorded as the seconder. The transcript records only a voice vote ('Aye') and no roll‑call tally.
The board also reviewed other candidate work that staff said might qualify for alternative funding streams, including Third & Polk (which staff said may be eligible for OCCRA/CCMG funding pending an income survey) and smaller projects that could be bundled. Members raised design considerations for larger storms, saying some system elements may need to be “over‑designed” to reduce long‑term maintenance costs.
The board directed staff to proceed with application preparation for Ellerbusch Road and to continue monitoring alternate funding sources and income‑survey results for Third & Polk. The motion to instruct staff to pursue Ellerbusch was approved by voice vote; the board did not record a roll‑call tally in the transcript.
Next steps: staff will confirm the exact application deadlines and program rules, refine project cost estimates and confirm how existing bond funds may count toward the local match before submitting the pre‑application and any full application.
