Montreal denied grant for new park

By ZACHARY MARANO

zmarano@yourdailyglobe.com

MONTREAL, Wis. — Mayor Kelly Traczyk announced that the city of Montreal’s application for the Neighborhood Investment Fund grant was not approved at the common council’s regular meeting on Tuesday, but they are still waiting to hear back on two other grants they applied for.

The common council hoped to use the Neighborhood Investment Fund to open a new park named Riverside Park on 22 acres of city property that would connect with regional trails and was modeled on Ironwood’s Downtown City Square. Traczyk said that they will continue to search for funding to develop city properties, including the park.

However, Montreal also applied for the Private Lead Service Line Replacement Program through the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources for 35 homes in the city and for Local Road Improvement Plan funds through the Wisconsin Department of Transportation funds to improve Bessemer Street, Michigan Avenue and Minnesota Avenue. Traczyk said they should have more on these grants at their next monthly meeting.

To put the city in a better position to secure government funds in the future, including through the bipartisan infrastructure bill, Traczyk said they need to develop a plan. She said they are expected to prioritize their capital needs and develop a project pipeline.

“To capture funding, we have to have everything planned out and the specifications. ‘Shovel ready’ is what they’re looking for. The first wave of financing will come out very soon. That’s for projects that didn’t get previously funded. The first application deadline is June 1, so it’s very short. The funds need to be spent in year they are budgeted by federal government; that’s why the rapid push for some of these projects,” Traczyk said.

Traczyk said that she wants to digitally map the city’s sewer and road systems to find the areas that need the most attention. Once they have the system digitally mapped, she said, the city will have invaluable information that will help them secure long-term funding.

Traczyk said they are planning on a reservoir inspection and cleaning this spring. She said that the sewer and utility department needs new equipment for the team to accomplish their jobs to the best of their ability, including a plow, dump truck and a snowblower attachment. She said she will continue searching for opportunities to secure these pieces of equipment.

During an audit report at the common council’s meeting on Feb. 8, from Rob Granschow of the Wisconsin-based consulting firm Wipfli said that the city should get automatic water readers for leak detection. Traczyk said that these readers could qualify for funding because they would not be replacing existing water readings. She said they would reduce water use, as well as employee time and input.