The city of Owensville has been awarded a $500,000 grant from the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission for development locally of the former Rock Island rail bed into a walking and biking trail inside the city limits.

Ordinance No. 1395, approved unanimously on Monday by Owensville’s Board of Aldermen, authorizes the mayor to sign off on the Transportation Alternatives Funds Program (TAP) agreement with the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission for the half-million in grant funds. The city agrees to contributed up to $100,000 in local funding for the project which will pay for materials and labor for constructing approximately 2.4 miles of trail on the former Rock Island Railroad corridor. 

City Administrator Randy Blaske said pricing estimates for rocking and grading the trail bed to State Parks specifications should get the portion of the trail completed from the Highway 19 overpass by Owensville Middle School to Kosark Road on the western end of Highway 28.

Blaske said the key to the city being awarded the matching grant was having their deputy city clerk, Kara Meyer, complete an online certification program which is recognized by the state agency when reviewing grant application. Meyer  completed nine hours of training seminars in April and May to qualify as being certified in the Missouri Local Technical Assistance Program (LTAP) offered by the Missouri Department of Transportation. 

Blaske said cities which had a staff member certified through LTAP were awarded grants in the most recent round of awards. None of the cities without a staffer certified in the program received awards, he noted.

The person receiving the certification on these matching grants will have responsibilities including oversight of the work and signing off on any change orders and invoices for payment of services rendered as the city’s “person in responsible charge.”

Travis Hernandez, the city’s contracted engineer with Archer-Elgin, told aldermen on Aug. 15 that developing plans for the project, preparing bid specifications for contractors and completing engineering for the project would likely continue into the spring of 2023. Actual work on the trail could be expected by the summer of 2023.

Blaske said the grant will reimburse the city for cash spent on the project and not “in-kind” labor provided through the city.

Hernandez said the city will be able to submit monthly invoices for money spent on the project to develop the trail to state specifications and receive reimbursement through the grant fund.

“Do a TAP dance for the TAP money,” said Ward 1 Alderman Cathy Lahmeyer as they began approving the 12-page agreement included in the ordinance. 

Funding will be available after Sept. 1 and Oct. 1 is the date listed for when advertising for engineering services can begin.

Blaske on Tuesday also announced the city will be receiving its second round of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding as early as today (Wednesday) or Thursday. He received word from the state’s Office of Administration that a “Tranche 2 payment in the amount of $261,312.32” would be deposited into city accounts by Aug. 18.