The City of Cassville, with assistance from the Southwest Missouri Council of Governments, will hold three consecutive public hearings on Tuesday to discuss the city’s submission of applications for the Fiscal Year 2025 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Mitigation (MIT) Program to assist the community in implementation of three potential projects to improve infrastructure and enhance critical facility operations during and after disasters.
The meetings will be held at 5 p.m., 5:15 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. at Cassville City Hall, located at 300 Main St. in Cassville.
“The city of Cassville is interested in obtaining all citizens’ input on community development needs within the city related to the three proposed projects,” said Richard Asbill, city administrator. “The city needs as much local participation as possible in order to reflect the true desires of the community, as well as comments relating to the proposed project applications. As part of the hearing process, citizens will be asked to verbally assist in the completion of a needs assessment document. The document will detail what the residents feel are the strengths and weaknesses of the community.”
Projects set to be discussed include the construction of a bridge on 7th Street, the purchase of a generator for the wastewater treatment plant, and construction of a pedestrian bridge on 5th Street.
“The City seeks as much local participation as possible to reflect the true desires of the community, as well as the comments relating to the proposed project application,” Asbill said. “The State has established a maximum application request for each funding category. Activities that are eligible for funding include the installation of critical facility generators, mitigation planning and capacity building, public facility hardening, warning systems and others allowed by law. The particular funding categories of interest, General Infrastructure and Critical Facility Generators, have maximum funding limits of $2,500,000 and $100,000 respectively. Activities that are eligible for funding include the improvement of general infrastructure and the installation of generators for critical facilities in the city.
“At least 51% of the funds must be used to benefit low- and moderate-income persons. No displacement of persons will be proposed. The areas to be addressed include the 7th Street low water crossing, the Cassville Wastewater Plant, and the construction of a pedestrian bridge at 5th Street/Hwy 76 at Mill Street. All of these proposed projects are anticipated to provide community-wide benefits.”
The first proposed project will include the construction of a bridge on 7th Street to replace the low-water crossing that was previously impacted by a severe weather event in 2017, which caused historic and devastating flash flooding in the area.
Flooding along Flat Creek, which previously flowed through a culvert under 7th Street, caused extensive damage to the culvert and roadway, making the bridge impassable. The proposed construction of a bridge will prevent future storm events from causing the same level of damage to this roadway.
The estimated total cost of the project is $739,742, and the city of Cassville proposes to request $739,742 in CDBG MIT funds to complete the project. The public hearing for the 7th Street bridge begins at 5 p.m. Tuesday.
Asbill said the Cassville Wastewater Plant is a critical facility that must maintain access to electricity during disasters or power outages to maintain operations, leading to the second proposed project, installation of a 500 kilowatt generator at the facility to ensure its continued operation during such events.
The estimated total cost is $144,664, and the city of Cassville proposes to contribute $44,664 in cash with grant funds of $100,000 needed to make up the balance. The public hearing regarding the generator will begin at 5:15 p.m. Tuesday.
The third proposed project will involve the construction of a pedestrian bridge at 5th Street/Hwy 76 at Mill Street to connect downtown and Main Street to the Greenway Trail system. CDBG MIT funds will be requested to cover the required local match contribution for the MoDOT Transportation Alternative Program (TAP) funds the city was previously awarded. See project cost breakdown below.
The estimated total cost is $823,051, with $500,000 coming from MoDOT TAP funding and a proposed $323,051 in CDBG MIT funds to cover the required local match for the MoDOT TAP funds previously awarded. The public hearing for the pedestrian bridge will begin at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday.
“The projects, if funded, will benefit 56.4% low- and moderate-income persons,” Asbill said. “All citizens, including those in the targeted area, are encouraged to attend in order to comment on the proposed activities.”
For more information on the proposed projects, people may contact Kelsi Burton at 417-836-3031 or by email at kelsiburton@ missouristate.edu. Anyone requiring special accommodations for the public hearing, including LEP assistance, should contact Burton by Thursday at 5 p.m.
The meeting will be held at an accessible location, and the city will make every effort possible to provide reasonable accommodations, Asbill said.
