Iola City Council members will discuss a laundry list of infrastructure projects Tuesday that could be funded with federal dollars.
There’s much that could be handled if the city receives its share of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) fund, a five-year, $1.2 trillion federal investment into the country’s infrastructure.
Iola City Administrator Matt Rehder has compiled a list of potential projects, including a $10 million main gas line replacement, $8 million for relining sewer mains; $1 million for replacing the city’s 69-kilovolt power line; $800,000 for a new transformer for the Bassett substation, and $34,500 for information technology upgrades.
Rehder noted that the funding typically comes in the form of grants, reimbursable to the city after funds first have been used. The sewer lining project would come in the form of a low-interest loan. The power pole and transformer projects also may require matching funds from the city.
Rehder said the city hopes to utilize a fund established by the state to help with matching funds. He’s already had conversations with Thrive Allen County regarding the application process.
As an aside, Rehder said there are projects that may not qualify for BIL monies, including water tower rehabs, expected to cost about $600,000; cleaning sludge out of the city’s sewage lagoons, projected to cost about $300,000; or installing a new aeration structure for the lagoons, projected to carry a $6 million price tag.
It doesn’t appear Iola can use BIL funds for electric vehicle charging stations, either, he noted, nor could Rehder find any grants that would apply for a costly rebuild of U.S. 54 through Iola in the near future.
Also on the agenda are discussions about 2024 employee holidays and Council meeting dates.
The meeting is set for 6 p.m. Tuesday at the New Community Building at Iola’s Riverside Park. The Council typically meets on the second and fourth Monday of each month, but because Monday is Columbus Day, the meeting was pushed back to Tuesday.
