By Karen Gleason
The 830 Times
City council members on Tuesday approved submission of an application for millions in federal grant funds from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
The council unanimously approved a resolution authorizing the city manager to submit a Community Change grant application in the amount of $16 million to $20 million to the EPA.
The council held a public hearing on submitting the grant shortly after the start of its meeting.
Mayor Al Arreola opened the hearing and asked if anyone wished to speak.
Abram Rodriguez of the Rotary Club of Del Rio, said he wanted to give the council insight about the Rotary Club’s portion of the grant.
“We are the Rotary Club of Del Rio, and our portion of the project would (be) aimed at the Rotary Village. This is low-income senior housing, and the goal would be to slash energy use to increase residents’ ability to use the A/C (air conditioning) and heat and ultimately get to zero cost utilities.
“We will be doing carports with solar and battery backups and high-efficiency windows,” Rodriguez added.
During the citizen comments portion of the agenda, Veronica Felton, representing the Del Rio Parks Foundation, said she and other members of the group were present to lend their support for submission of the grant proposal.
Felton said the park foundation’s portion of the grant “would provide sustainable funding for the (organization’s) community garden.”
“This grant would provide funding for resources that we have needed for many, many years. It would provide funding for additional garden beds, lighting, onsite storage, rain collection water tanks, native plants and trees and an atmospheric solar generator. It is a 100 percent funded grant with no match required from the city.
“This would provide many needed resources for our community garden that would allow us to improve our space and provide additional resources so we can continue to educate the community. We want to thank everyone who has contributed in putting this grant together, and we thank the city council in advance for voting to approve this agenda item,” Felton said.
The submission of the grant was considered later in the meeting.
After City Secretary Mari Acosta read the heading of the agenda item, Arreola called for a motion.
Councilman J.P. Sanchez made the motion to approve the resolution, and Councilwoman Carmen Gutierrez gave the second.
Councilman Jesus Lopez Jr. said he had a question for Michael Garcia, assistant to the city manager and the city’s grants writer.
“Who’s going to be overseeing the money and the projects at hand, to make sure the money is going to where it’s supposed to and reporting to the EPA?” Lopez asked.
Garcia replied, “The city will be the lead applicant, so we are submitting this EPA Community Change grant and part of the requirement was that we must submit an application with a non-profit organization. Actually, a non-profit organization must submit the application with another non-profit organization, or, in this case, a municipality, so that’s why we were invited to become part of this project.”
Garcia added, “If we get selected for funding for this project, then the EPA will provide the city the funding, since we are the lead applicant. There’s no cost match. Other previous grants have been on a reimbursement basis, but in this case, since we’re dealing with a lot of funding, a lot of money, they understand that it’s a burden on the municipality or the organizations, they will send an anticipation amount, depending on our needs and the city will be reporting this on a monthly basis or quarterly basis, depending on the requirement, but that will be established once they let us know if we get funded, and then once we sign all the requirements, the agreements, it will be established by the EPA.”
He added reporting could be on a monthly or a quarterly basis.
City Manager Shawna Burkhart added the only expense to the city would be an increase in the amount needed to perform the city’s audit “because we will be forced into a single audit, based on the dollar amount of the grant, so there will be an additional amount for audit expenses.”
Burkhart said she anticipates because of the amount of the grant, the cost of the audit may increase by $12,000 to $15,000.
Garcia added if the city receives the grant, the finance department will create a specific amount to track the funds. He said the funds would be tracked in the same way the city tracked the funds it received through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA).
Arreola asked about the deadline to apply for the grant, and Garcia said it was Thursday (Nov. 21).
Arreola also asked when the grant will be awarded.
“We’re looking at April or May. Hopefully they can make a decision by then. Usually it takes between two or three months for them to make a decision on the application process. They will let us know, and then I’m not sure by May or in the fall, they will give us an award letter, that way we can bring it back to city council and pass an ordinance, and then we can begin to use the funding,” Garcia said.
In an informational handout included as part of the council’s agenda packet, Garcia delineated the project list for the various organizations that were part of the process.
He wrote the city will use its part of the grant to help pay for an emergency water source, a new well; and the Rotary Club will use it for energy efficiency projects at its Rotary Village.
Garcia also noted the San Felipe Creek Coalition will use its portion of the funding for projects along the creek, including rain gardens, bio swales, rain barrels, pollinator gardens and cane eradication; and the Del Rio Parks Foundation will use it to make improvements at its community garden.
Funding also may be used to install a colonias water supply, including solar-powered atmospheric water generators to provide drinking water to homes with no access to public utilities, and the Casa De La Cultura will use its portion of the funding will use the monies to make improvements to its annex building.
Lopez asked if each organization would be using its own architects, designers, engineers and contractors.
Burkhart replied since the funds would be distributed by the city, each of the organizations would have to comply with governmental purchasing and acquisition guidelines.
The six members of the council present Tuesday voted in favor of Sanchez’s motion to approve the resolution.
The writer can be reached at delriomagnoliafan@gmail.com.
