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Ashland approves TAP grant agreement; wetlands study delays sidewalk and trail schedule
Summary
The board approved an ordinance authorizing a supplemental TAP agreement with MoDOT but staff said additional federal environmental requirements — specifically a wetland delineation — increased costs and pushed the project schedule into early 2025.
The Ashland Board of Aldermen approved Council Bill 2024‑35 on Sept. 10, authorizing a supplemental agreement with the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission to proceed with sidewalk and trail work funded under the TAP (Transportation Alternatives Program) grant.
Public works director Mister Creel told the board the project encountered added federally required work: a cultural resource survey had already increased costs and the city now must complete a wetland delineation. "Throughout the process, we've been hit with additional requirements…Now we are required to complete a wetland delineation study," Creel said, and staff are negotiating a supplemental agreement with the consultant engineer and MoDOT to adjust the schedule.
Creel said the revised timetable in staff memos pushes milestones into early 2025, with an anticipated bid opening around Feb. 1 and a potential construction contract award around March 1. He said staff will continue coordinating with MoDOT and pursue the supplemental agreement so the city can remain eligible for reimbursement under the federal grant.
During discussion, council members asked whether wetlands had already been delineated; staff noted older maps show a filled pond and drainage channels in the area near the YMCA and that the delineation will confirm whether protected features exist. The board voted to approve the ordinance; later in the meeting the second reading of the related ordinance (No. 1492) was approved as old business.
