Originally, the city engineer advised council members to submit an application to the Ohio Public Works Commission for two grants in the amount of $490,000 each. At a meeting last week, however, City Council voted to submit a more aggressive application in an effort to reduce the fiscal impact on local taxpayers. As a result, the $490,000 figure was upped to $735,000.
“We need to increase the grant amount by a level that makes it unlikely that we will win (the money),” Fullenkamp said at the meeting. “If we win, I’m not sure where the rest of the cash is going to come from.”
Under both plans, about $2.2 million dollars would be immediately taken from the general fund, said City Manager Bryan Chodkowski. The key difference is that by asking for more money in grants, the city will be able to borrow 50 percent less in loans.
If the council’s request is not approved, members have discussed applying for a federal grant through MVRPC in October or November. That money would be awarded after a five-year waiting period, giving officials time to apply for additional and smaller grants in the meantime.
“We need to make this a long-term project so that we can put more money aside,” Fullenkamp said.
Mayor Bill Flaute has a slightly different approach.
“Springfield and Airway are major roads that come into our city, and if the state is going to give us money, then we need to go ahead and do what we can,” he said.
Chodkowski cited nearby cities’ success with similarly sized projects in the past as evidence that there is no guarantee OPWC will deny Riverside the $1.5 million.
In addition to Airway Road and Springfield Street, Riverside is also planning to spend more than $200,000 in revenue resurfacing Spaulding Road. If the state approves a grant application for $99,500, then construction could begin as early as late 2015.
No matter where the money comes from, the estimated total cost of resurfacing Spaulding, Airway, and Springfield adds up to at least $4.4 million.
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