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Newport council approves application for $1.4 million CDBG disaster recovery grant to map stormwater system
Summary
The Newport City Council authorized applying for $1.4 million in CDBG disaster recovery funding to create a stormwater asset map, hire grant administration and engineering services, and replace aging water lines; council approved the related contracts and vendors in the same meeting.
The Newport City Council unanimously authorized the city to apply for Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) disaster recovery funding, amended at council request to $1,400,000, to fund a stormwater asset-mapping project and related work.
Aaron Carper, speaking for absent City Administrator James Finchem, said the funds would let the city identify every stormwater outfall and pipe size to speed troubleshooting and maintenance. "There's going to be 4,200 linear feet of water line on North Street replaced," Carper said while outlining related infrastructure work and a target start date of Aug. 3. He corrected an earlier drafting error and asked the council to change the application amount from $1.2 million to $1.4 million; the council approved the amendment and authorized the application with zero local match.
Council also approved separate resolutions to hire grant-administration services (Resolution 2026-12) and to retain LDA Engineering (Resolution 2026-13) to perform the stormwater asset mapping after an RFQ. Carper told the council two firms submitted proposals and that LDA, an Alcoa-based firm, scored highest based on experience with stormwater mapping.
The measures passed by roll call vote. The authorization to apply does not commit the city to accept award terms; staff noted the city would not be charged by the chosen grant administrator if the grant is not awarded.
The council approved the package with no recorded dissent and directed staff to proceed with procurement and grant submission steps. The next procedural step will be staff follow-up on the grant application and execution of contracts if the grant is awarded.
