City staff seeks $100,000 engineering design grant for Huntington Heritage Complex

City staff told the Huntington City Council at a May 12 budget workshop they are applying for a design grant to pay for engineering drawings for the Huntington Heritage Complex. Staff said the grant request is intended to cover only the cost to draw and engineer the site plan, not construction costs.

The staff member said consultants who produced earlier plans for the adjacent walking trail and disc golf — Johansson and Tuttle — still have prior drawings and will provide an updated estimate to support the grant application. "Jade with Serta is helping us apply for this grant," the staff member said, and the council was told staff placed a $100,000 line in the capital-project engineering (CP engineering) section as the proposed budget entry for the request.

The nut graf: the engineering grant is a preparatory step to make the Heritage Complex project shovel-ready; without design estimates council members said they cannot finalize grant match or construction budgeting. Staff emphasized that the $100,000 is for design only and noted earlier drawings exist that may reduce time and cost.

Council members asked whether the earlier drawings would be reused; staff responded the prior materials are available but that the design for the new grant will reflect the council’s current vision. The staff member also said the grant application may include requests to CIB for match funding if needed, and that final construction funding would be a separate step.

No formal vote on the design grant was taken at the workshop; staff placed the request on the FY2027 wish list pending estimates and grant application outcomes. The council was reminded that the tentative budget will be set at the next council meeting and the final budget will be resolved at the public hearing in June.