Union City Council approves $400,000 grant application for Willow Street bridge and several routine spending measures

Union City Borough Council unanimously approved a resolution June 25 to apply for a $400,000 Multimodal Transportation Fund grant to replace the Willow Street bridge, and signed off on multiple routine financial measures including paving payments and local grant awards.

The bridge funding application was presented and carried by motion. Councilor Osborn moved to approve the Multimodal Transportation Fund grant application and Councilor Kerns seconded; the motion carried unanimously. Borough Manager Cindy Wells said the grant would “provide the additional needed funds for the bridge replacement on Willow Street.”

Why it matters: the grant application would secure external funding for a major local infrastructure project that the borough estimates will need additional capital beyond local budgets. Council combined that action with several finance items to close its June agenda.

Other financial actions approved included disbursing $92,130 from Liquid Fuels and $12,610.81 from the General Fund to pay a Cross Paving invoice totaling $104,740.81, and applying $15,625 in County Aid toward a Suit-Kote seal coat payment. Council also approved allocating 2–3 loads of millings to the American Legion ballfield and authorized grinding and tracking of millings by Union Township.

Council approved Renaissance grant awards after reviewing six applications totaling $27,127.65. The council approved four applications totaling $17,675 for the 2023/2024 grant period, leaving $750.49 in the current balance, and carried two applications totaling $9,452.65 into the 2024/2025 grant period.

On municipal finance, councilors voted to open a PLGIT Checking & Prime account and transfer approximately $140,000 from the Capital Equipment account to seek higher interest rates. The borough also noted receipt of a separate $100,000 ECGRA Renaissance grant and recorded that the Union City Volunteer Fire Department repaid a $59,250 ambulance loan.

Votes at a glance: All motions and resolutions were adopted unanimously by the councilors present (Cross, Joyce, Osborn, Steadman, Uber and Kerns; Councilor Winkler absent). Key recorded actions include the Multimodal grant application (approved), Liquid Fuels disbursement to Cross Paving (approved), County Aid allocation to Suit-Kote (approved), two tax-exoneration resolutions for properties purchased by the Erie County Land Bank (approved), approval of Renaissance grant awards (approved), authorization to open a PLGIT account and transfer funds (approved), and authorization to post removed playground equipment for sale on Municibid (approved).

Council members who moved or seconded motions are recorded in meeting minutes for each item; the minutes do not record individual roll-call votes but state each motion “carried unanimously.”

What’s next: If the borough’s Multimodal Transportation Fund application is awarded, the Willow Street bridge replacement will move into design and procurement planning. Several zoning and ordinance items were deferred to a future meeting when the Solicitor is available.

The council adjourned at 7:21 p.m., then held an executive session on personnel and contracts that ran until 8:17 p.m.