NICK GOSNELL
Hutch Post
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Justin Combs with City of Hutchinson Parks and Facilities talked to the City Council Tuesday about some grant funds that his department didn't have access to before through the Community Development Block Grant program.
"For the first time, those funds are being made available to parks, trails, sidewalks, community recreation facilities," Combs said. "Historically, those projects have never been allowed. Our community does qualify. There's some thresholds as far as low to moderate income. We are on the list that qualifies to receive these funds. It is a match program with a minimum of 25%. In the language they have pushed out, they kind of lean more towards a 50-50 match, with a maximum of $750,000."
Combs is looking at already budgeted projects because of the timeline needed to get things together.
"By the end of the month, by October 31st, we have to have an agreement with a grant administrator," Combs said. "We've historically always used SCKEDD to do that for us. We've had some initial conversations. Jim Seitnater has helped facilitate some of those conversations with SCKEDD. They are very interested in helping us. However, before I proceeded and signed a contract with them, I just wanted to make sure it was something that council was aware of and supportive of. If we do proceed with SCKEDD, there's no risk involved. They will only charge us a fee if we get the grant."
The fee traditionally is five percent of the grant award. There also would be a separate fee if SCKEDD actually did the grant writing, but that was not before the council on Tuesday.
"The grant's actually not due until February," Combs said. "The actual application is due in February, there's also a public hearing that will have to happen. There will be opportunities for formal action by council to proceed. I just didn't want the first time you hear about this to be when it shows up on the agenda as a public hearing."
There was consensus among the council to have SCKEDD do the administration for the grant, since the council's next official meeting isn't until November 1.