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Committee reports HB355 park allocations and $19,300 Race for This Place check ready for council
Summary
Liaison Pattie Berg told the Parks Advisory Committee that fundraising and T-Mobile equipment funds qualify as HB355 matching funds; the committee noted $47,495 in HB355 park allocations and a $19,300 Race for This Place check will be presented to City Council.
At its Sept. 19, 2024 meeting the White Sulphur Springs Parks Advisory Committee heard an update from Liaison Pattie Berg on grant funding and matching resources for park projects.
Berg reported that money raised from the Race for This Place event, donations from the Lions and the T-Mobile grant can count as matching funds for the state's HB355 grant program, reducing reliance on city capital-project funds for the 25% local match. Committee members were advised that HB355 requires projects to be under contract by Dec. 30, 2024 and that grant funds must be spent by 2027; Commerce (MDOC) provides guidance on reimbursement requirements and contract timing.
The committee recorded an initial decision to allocate $47,495 of HB355 funding to parks projects: Springs Park, $20,680; a vaulted toilet at Rader Park, $23,750; and McStravick Park ADA access, $3,065. Meeting materials listed total HB355 allocations of $111,855, with $64,361 earmarked for SCADA and $47,495 for parks.
Committee member Kelly Huffield reported that a check for $19,300 — proceeds from Race for This Place — is ready to be turned over to the city; Liaison Berg said she would ask that the city place a presentation on the Oct. 15 City Council agenda.
The committee discussed procurement and project timing. Members noted that to meet HB355 requirements projects must be under contract by Dec. 30 and that Commerce will issue instructions on submissions and reimbursements. The committee also noted that some HB355-eligible projects (for example, installation of a vaulted toilet) may extend into the next fiscal year and that invoices and signed contracts are required for reimbursement under HB355 rules.
No formal appropriation by the committee occurred at the meeting; allocations were discussed and reported via the Liaison report and will be acted on through the city's normal Council and contracting processes.
