On Tuesday, February 7 the Fallon City Council reviewed and prioritized funds from a Community Development Block Grant for the fiscal year 2023-24. The discussion centered on two applications: Kaiser Street road and sidewalk ADA improvements, and Laura Mills Park walking path ADA improvements.
City Engineer Derek Zimney explained the two projects and the possibility of receiving the funds for both. “The Kaiser Street ADA improvement project in the amount of $788,105 which would be the CDBG match or the Laura Mills Park ADA improvement project for approximately $400,000. Both of these projects were submitted for eligibility, and both were found eligible. We were pleasantly surprised with that, so that was a big win.”
The council reviewed the conceptual drawings submitted for both projects, as Zimney summarized the planned improvements. “The way we have Kaiser broken out is into two phases. The most critical is from Golden Gate over to Allen where we've seen significant truck traffic degrade things. But as we replace that road, both sides all the way down will become ADA compliant with curb, gutters, and sidewalks.” Councilman Paul Harmon asked, “So this isn't just sidewalk improvements on Kaiser Street. It's Kaiser Street and ADA improvements,” to which Zimney replied, “Yes, and we also intend to do the utilities underneath when we do a major road project.” According to the estimate submitted by Lumos and Associates, the total cost of the improvements would be $2,718,648.
The discussion turned to Laura Mills Park and the amount of use its walking path gets. Zimney told the council, “Every time I go down there, there's groups and groups of different people that walk that neighborhood. There's people that come from the far side and jog across town to do some laps. We don't have exact numbers, but we do know it's a beloved park, and any improvement we do there will increase usage tenfold.” Two estimates were received to demo and replace the current one-half-mile walking loop and its connecting paths. The cost to use concrete was $422,000, and $317,070 to use asphalt.
Mayor Ken Tedford said, “I think we need to submit both projects, with Laura Mills first and Kaiser Street second.” The council concurred and voted to rank the Laura Mills project as their number one priority, and the Kaiser Street project as number two.
The CDBG program, administered by the Department of Housing and Urban Development, provides annual grants on a formula basis to states, cities, and counties to develop viable urban communities by providing decent housing and a suitable living environment, and by expanding economic opportunities, principally for low- and moderate-income persons. The Governor's Office for Economic Development is anticipating an allocation of $3,600,000 in CDBG funds for rural Nevada.
The Fallon City Council meets on the first and third Tuesday of each month at 9 a.m. in the City Council Chambers. Meeting agendas and minutes can be found on their website, https://www.fallonnevada.gov/city-council-meeting-and-agendas/#city-meetings.
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