City Must Use or Lose $75,000 HUD Grant

Arnold Council members voted, 8-0, to quickly start discussions with a landscaping contractor or lose a $75,000 grant from the Federal Department of Housing and Urban Development.

The grant’s purpose is to improve the areas near Jeffco Boulevard and the Meramec River. The improvements are meant to increase the city’s appearance and improve the chance of bringing businesses into the area. 

The money must be spent by Sept. 30 or the federal government will retract the grant, Arnold’s Community Development Director Mary Holden said during the City Council meeting on May 5. 

Usually, the council votes only on issues listed on the meeting agenda.

Delaying a vote until the May 19 Council Meeting would risk forfeiting the grant, Holden said.

Waiting two weeks to begin negotiations with a contractor, then planning the project and completing the work during the summer would bring the project close to the federal deadline, Holden said.

City Administrator Matt Unrein said the vote would only allow Holden’s staff to discuss the proposed project and determine its price.

“We’re not asking the council to let us spend money, we’re just asking if we can go talk to some people,” Unrein said. 

The grant had been in City Hall at least five years, Unrein said. 

The city announced requests for qualifications for the project on April 15 through the local newspaper and City Hall website.

Three of the four bidders are based in St. Louis, the fourth bidder operates out of Kansas City, Unrein said in response to Ward 1 Councilman Doris Borgelt’s question regarding local businesses. 

The council will, hopefully, have a negotiated landscaping contract to consider at the next scheduled meeting, Unrein said.