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Council approves application to Maine DOT for Congress Street bicycle and pedestrian project
Summary
The Belfast City Council authorized the economic development director to apply for $1,728,000 from the Maine Department of Transportation bicycle and pedestrian program to fund a multi-part Congress Street infrastructure project and committed $432,000 in local matching funds; the motion passed 5-0.
The Belfast City Council on July 8 authorized the city’s economic development director to submit a $1,728,000 application to the Maine Department of Transportation bicycle and pedestrian funding program for a planned Congress Street infrastructure improvement project.
The project scope identified by Economic Development Director Thomas focuses on the section of Congress Street between White Street and Grove Street and could expand to include the entirety of Solman Street and the stretch of Congress Street to U.S. Route 1. Thomas told council, “To date, we've secured $1,990,000 in funding for this project” but said new cost estimates put the total at about $3,200,000, leaving a funding gap of more than $1 million.
City staff proposed requesting $1,728,000 from the DOT program, which requires a minimum 20% local match. The council motion — moved by Councilor Mary and seconded on the floor — also committed $432,000 in local matching funds, with city staff noting those funds would be repaid from revenues generated by the proposed 115 Congress Street Affordable Housing tax increment financing district or temporarily fronted from other city sources.
Thomas said Maine DOT staff recommended applying for the full amount and then prioritizing which sections to build if the award does not cover all three proposed segments: priority one would be Congress Street from White to Grove; second would be Solman Street in full; third would be the section from White Street to Route 1. He also recommended answering “yes” to the application question about contributing more than the required match to improve the application’s competitiveness.
The council voted unanimously to authorize the application, commit the local match, and empower the city manager to sign all documents related to the submission. No public speakers opposed the motion during the item.
City staff said applicants would learn whether they were selected in January and that the program’s applications were due July 15. The motion passed 5-0; next steps include finalizing the application materials and returning to the council for any decisions on how to front match dollars if needed.
