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City manager details grant pursuits: Park Drive drainage design, Locust Avenue, and federal funding prospects
Summary
City Manager Travis Blosser briefed council on business-license renewals and several grant pursuits, including a Park Drive drainage design paid for by FEMA and state funds, Locust Avenue/Coal Run Hollow construction-document grants, and hopes for federal funding via the Build America 250 Act and Safe Streets for All; a $10 million congressional request was noted for a $108 million sanitary sewer first phase.
City Manager Travis Blosser used his report on May 26 to flag a set of near-term grant opportunities and larger federal funding prospects tied to the city's infrastructure priorities.
Blosser said the city mailed business-license renewals and that many businesses will see a lower general business-license fee ($10). He highlighted Park Drive, which sustained flooding and has an older drainage system under private structures; FEMA funds have paid for design work and the state is covering 25% of design costs, he said. Blosser said the construction cost for the Park Drive project "we anticipate will probably hover between a million to a million two to a 1.2 million dollars." He added the city is pursuing a grant with a June 12 application deadline to support construction.
On Locust Avenue and Coal Run Hollow, Blosser said prior studies (including one from 2001) recommended fixes that lacked implementation at the time; the city is pursuing grants to get to full construction documents and noted Fairmont State University is coordinating remediation work on adjacent properties.
Blosser discussed federal prospects: he said the U.S. House markup for the Build America 250 Act included $3.7 billion for Safe Streets for All planning and implementation and rural set-asides that could help Fairmont compete for funds. He also described an ongoing congressional outreach effort and a $10 million request toward the city's $108 million first-phase sanitary-sewer improvements; he credited his contacts with Senator Capito's office and others for helping advance that request.
Blosser said the city has hired a grant administrator and uses a Washington, D.C., consulting firm to help secure resources and that those investments explain why council approved an omnibus resolution to authorize grant submissions. He emphasized intent to convert planning grants into implementable projects rather than studies that "sit on a shelf."
