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Waterville approves EDA grant application, plans flood walls and sewer repairs with local match
Summary
Council authorized Resolution 2026R‑006 to apply for a Federal EDA grant requiring a 20% local match (estimated about $325,000) to fund flood walls at two lift stations and slip‑lining clay sewer lines; Council also agreed to a $10,000 Le Sueur County match contribution for related upland storage work.
The Waterville City Council on April 7 authorized an application to the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) for infrastructure work intended to reduce flood risk and repair aging sewer infrastructure.
Administrator Teresa Hill said the proposed EDA application would require a 20% local match, currently estimated at roughly $325,000. Projects identified for inclusion are flood walls around the Hamilton and Tetonka View lift stations and slip‑lining of clay sewer mains, a costly rehabilitation technique Hill said would benefit from grant funding because the city would otherwise shoulder higher costs.
Council approved Resolution 2026R‑006 authorizing submission of the EDA application by a 4-0 vote. Hill emphasized that acceptance of a grant award would not be binding if the council later determined the terms were unacceptable.
Separately, the council agreed to contribute $10,000 as a cash match to a Le Sueur County upland storage project after Administrator Hill summarized prior council support and County Commissioner David Presler described other jurisdictions’ involvement and recent state funding successes. Presler said county EDA applications were denied at the state level, but the Soil and Water Conservation District secured more than $400,000 in state funds for design and engineering of flood storage projects; he added he will advocate against unfunded state mandates that shift costs to local taxpayers.
Councilors approved both the EDA application authorization and the $10,000 county match by unanimous votes. Staff will return with program details and formal cost estimates if the grant process advances.
