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Seldovia council accepts EPA lead-inventory reimbursement and approves $241,557 CDBG grant
Summary
On May 12 the Seldovia City Council voted to accept $30,000 from the EPA as reimbursement for a completed lead service-line inventory and to authorize acceptance of $241,557 in federal CDBG funds — approving the first unanimously and the CDBG award by 4–1 with one absence. The funds will be placed to support water-system maintenance and a building roof repair.
The Seldovia City Council on May 12 approved two funding measures: Resolution 25-49 to accept a $30,000 reimbursement from the Environmental Protection Agency for a lead service-line inventory, and Resolution 25-50 to accept $241,557 in federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds and commit local matches for a building repair project.
City manager Heidi told the council the inventory covered 245 active service lines and, based on field inspections and returned surveys, "No lead was found or noted in our, our system." She said staff time and a hired local contractor completed the work and that the reimbursement will be appropriated to the Major Maintenance and Repair Fund (MMRF) for future water-system maintenance such as pump replacement.
"This is a vehicle to accept $30,000 reimbursement from our lead service line inventory and then appropriate that into the major maintenance and repair fund," Heidi said, describing the intent to make the money available for identified maintenance needs.
Resolution 25-49 passed with five votes in favor and one member absent. The motion to accept the reimbursement was made by Council member Rojas and seconded by Council member Kennedy.
On the CDBG measure, Heidi explained the grant comes with strict reporting and environmental-review requirements. She recommended using the CDBG award to repair the roof of a municipal building rather than changing the grant’s scope to cover a whole-building replacement, which she said would trigger expanded environmental reviews and additional costs. Heidi noted the grant includes a 5% administration allocation, amounting to roughly $10,000 back to the city for project administration, and recommended using unassigned MMRF funds to cover the cash match portion.
The council debated whether to fund a full replacement or to proceed with the roof repair. Resident Jack, who spoke during the discussion, urged the council to compare the cost of a new building against the $2.14 million figure referenced for repairs, saying, "I priced buildings that size, and it's considerably less than the $2.14." Council members exchanged views on the feasibility and timing of commissioning estimates versus moving ahead to meet grant timelines.
After discussion the council approved Resolution 25-50 authorizing acceptance of the $241,557 CDBG award and directing the city manager to negotiate and execute grant documents. The council recorded four votes in favor, one opposed and one absence.
The council scheduled further budget and fee-schedule discussion for its May 27 meeting. The approved appropriations will be reflected in forthcoming budget documents and, where required, in the public hearing scheduled for May 27, 2025.
