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City holds final hearing on MLK Drive water-line CDBG closeout; sidewalks not part of project
Summary
At a March 3 hearing, city staff said a CDBG-funded MLK Drive project replaced an 8-inch water line at a final cost of about $641,000 (city match ~$161,000) and benefited roughly 270 residents; staff said sidewalks were not included but remain under pursuit through a separate revolving loan fund still awaiting TDA approval.
Nacogdoches City held a final public hearing March 3 on the closeout of Community Development Block Grant contract CDV23-0190, a project that replaced an 8-inch water line on MLK Drive.
"This was a reimbursable type grant," said Kapperman, identified in the hearing as the city's director of public works and city engineer. "The final project cost came in around $641,000. Of that, the city matched about $161,000." He said the work replaced just over half a mile of 8-inch water line between Shauny Street and East Main Street and benefited approximately 270 residents.
The hearing drew a public question about sidewalks. "I was curious if a sidewalk was included with this," said Brandy Cartwright, a resident who gave her address as 2806 North Pan Street. Kapperman replied that the CDBG scope covered the water-line work only. "No, this was a water-line project. This did not include sidewalks at any point in time during the scope of this particular grant," he said.
Kapperman told the council sidewalks have been discussed under a separate financing mechanism — the city's revolving loan fund (RLF) — but that the city has faced delays with the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) in getting those funds released. He said the TDA discussions date back to about 2017 and that staff are continuing to work with the agency to resolve outstanding issues so RLF money could be used for sidewalks on MLK and other streets.
Council members noted that federal and state grant programs such as CDBG are often targeted to water and sewer projects and said focusing the application on those systems can make proposals more competitive for low- and moderate-income areas. No further formal action was taken on the CDBG closeout at the hearing; staff indicated they will continue pursuing separate sidewalk funding avenues.
What happens next: staff said they will keep working with TDA on the RLF to pursue sidewalks and related pedestrian improvements adjacent to the completed water-line project.
