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Prineville staff seeks council support for $16.4 million federal rail grant that would need local match and short-term financing
Summary
Finance staff asked the council to support pursuing a $16.4 million CRISI grant for rail upgrades—roughly $13.1M federal and a 20% local match—while seeking preliminary backing for a multi-year interfund loan to provide needed cash flow for a reimbursement-based grant.
Finance Director Laurie Hooper Antrim told council that staff recommends pursuing a Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) grant to support large-scale rail infrastructure work. She said the proposed application would request roughly $16,400,000 in total funding, "consisting of about $13,100,000 in federal funds and a required 20% local match of $3,300,000." She added that because CRISI is reimbursement-based, the railroad would need additional liquidity to front project costs and staff estimates about $5,000,000 in cash would be needed for the local match and working capital.
A presenter identified as Matt expanded on the project scope: purchasing 18 miles of continuous welded rail (CWR) to standardize rail to 115 pounds per yard, replacing a timber structure on Madras Highway with steel (a line-item of roughly $378,000 in the grant), and procuring equipment to allow much of the work to be done in house. Matt said the work aims to reduce maintenance needs and could set the railroad up for a 60- to 80-year service life on rebuilt segments. He also noted that staff has collected about 14 letters of business support for the application.
Staff explained the potential interfund loan structure would likely be repaid over approximately five years from railroad revenues or other identified sources, and that actual construction would not be expected to begin until about 2028, which allows time to incorporate financing into future budgets. Council members asked technical questions about rail bedding and weigh/tonnage choices; Matt explained the decision to use 115-lb rail as a cost-and-compatibility compromise and provided procurement timing (equipment bids expected in mid-August for the first part of the project).
Council did not take formal action on the grant application at the meeting but staff requested early alignment so they can proceed efficiently with the competitive application process and later bring formal financing approvals back to council.
