Stratford’s Board of Trustees approved moving forward with an application for a $600,000 Community Development Block Grant during their regular meeting Tuesday night. If awarded, the grant would fund repairs and improvements to the town’s sewer system
The board heard from grant writer and administrator Millie Vance, who will be assisting in the application and grant writing process. Vance said in writing the grant application she will be working with town officials to look at what’s needed in terms of the town’s sewer system including measures to address current consent orders the town is under from the Department of Environmental Quality, any necessary lagoon work, and possible rehabilitation needs at the lift station.
“We will come up with a project that will encompass some of the worst of your need,” Vance said.
CDBG grants are federalfunds administered by the Oklahoma Department of Commerce, and are awarded through a competitive process. Vance told trustees, as of this year, the maximum grant amount has increased to $600,000 and in a reversal from previous years, the Department of Commerce is favoring bigger grants. Her recommendation to the board was they apply for the maximum amount.
In explaining the competitive process, Vance said the Department of Commerce looks at criteria such as the number of people served by the project, the percentage of low to moderate income households that will be served, available matching funds, and what a municipality currently charges for water and sewer rates. She said applicants that are under consent orders also score higher.
Stratford already meets grant requirements to score well in regard to sewer and water rates, due in part to previous rate hikes, Vance told trustees. However, she did recommend as the board anticipates future phases of improvements and upkeep, they consider implementing small annual rate increases to keep up with inflation, if nothing else.
“One of the things you have to look at with a rate study is what’s in the works, what needs to be done here and how do we plan for the future to get there. How can we step into this and do this without killing your citizens,” Vance said.
If awarded the grant, the town will provide $140,000 in matching funds. The majority of that will come from the town’s allocation of American Rescue Plan Act funds, Town Administrator Karen Lambert said. The grant application is due the first of May.
In a separate agenda item, trustees also voted to proceed with a Long Range Sustainability Plan by the Oklahoma Rural Water Association. The plan is intended to help ensure the economic sustainability of the town’s water system and will include ORWA looking at infrastructure needs, conducting a rate analysis, a water audit, leak detection, and hydraulic analysis. ORWA will also do an asset management study and look at the town’s policies and procedures before issuing a final optimization report with recommendations.
The board was also advised that town crews will be conducting smoke testing of sewer lines around the first of March. The testing will be a threeday process and will help identify leaks and problem areas. Additional information will be distributed to residents through door hangers, letters and social media prior to the tests.
In other business at Tuesday’s meeting the board of trustees:
•.Approved securing an appraisal of town property at 307 W. Smith for the purpose of putting the property up for sale by sealed bid, with the right to reject any bid deemed unsuitable.
•.Discussed enacting an ordinance to prohibit parking vehicles in residential yards. No action was taken, and the board plans to resume discussion at next meeting.
•.Approved purchase orders to RSI, Inc. for two digital radios and Quick Signs for signage to equip new police vehicles.
•.Continued items to declare property at 503 E. Main and 400 N. Hyden as dilapidated, giving property owners until March 8 to have lots cleared.
•.Voted to declared properties at 610 E. Garvin and 300 Jayne St. dilapidated.