Presiding official announced that a team led by Tom Spencer and Richard Lemenkeule, with a consultant, secured $22,000,000 in grant funding for the city’s well-field and associated water and wastewater projects, and said the same amount is eligible for a State Revolving Fund (SRF) loan.

The presiding official called the result “fantastic news,” and thanked the team for the successful application. “They were successful in a grant application resulting in $22,000,000 in grant dollars coming in for the well field and our projects,” the presiding official said. The presiding official also described SRF loans as “very attractive” given their favorable terms.

Staff clarified how SRF packages can include a mix of loans and forgiveness. City staff member Kristen Simeone said that prior SRF awards for the wastewater treatment plant included both large loan amounts and loan forgiveness: she referenced a prior SRF package figure of $79,000,079 and said the city received $19,000,000 in loan forgiveness on that project. Simeone said SRF loan packages can contain both loan and forgiveness elements and urged the council to view SRF financing as a useful tool.

Transcript references to the total available funding were inconsistent: the presiding official also referenced an aggregate figure tied to the projects (stating a total of $35,000,000 and, in a later garbled phrase, a much larger figure). Staff said they will provide clarified, written figures at the upcoming meeting and in the project packet before formal action. The city did not record a formal vote on funding at the pre-agenda meeting.

Next steps: staff will provide a written breakdown of grant and SRF loan amounts and any loan-forgiveness components at the regular meeting and in forthcoming project materials.