The City of Salida has been the grateful recipient of multiple grants in recent years amounting to over 3.4 million dollars since 2007. Receipt of this funding from outside sources has allowed us to leverage local dollars to make community improvements that would otherwise not be possible.
Many of the trails and other recreation facilities in our community are made possible through grant funds provided by Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO) and Colorado State Parks. This year alone we have received three grants from these two organizations totaling $473,680.
These first of these projects will extend the Monarch Spur Trail to US 50 through the Starbuck Subdivision and Wal Mart. The second will fund purchase of 29 acres of hillside north of the railroad tracks that will be protected as open space for the community. The closing on the land purchase is set for the end of August. The third project that will get underway next spring includes bathrooms and changing rooms at the boat ramp, new playground equipment and picnic areas in Riverside Park, improved river access, a permanent slalom course and other improvements to the whitewater park.
Other GOCO support in the last two years includes $46,410 towards the creation of our first Master Plan for parks, recreation and trails. In addition, the City has obtained $228,615 from GOCO on behalf of the school district that has funded the Ben Oswald Soccer Fields and the new playground at the Salida Middle School.
Two projects that will greatly improve safety and aesthetics on our streets are the Safe Routes to Schools program and the US 50 Streetscape project. Both of these programs are being funded with the generous support of the Colorado Department of Transportation. Safe Routes will provide thermoplastic crosswalks and painted bike lanes to help kids walk and bike to school. The US 50 project will provide streetlights, sidewalks, crosswalks and concrete parkways along the highway. Both of these projects should be well underway by this fall. Total grant funding for these projects is $961,168.
The State of Colorado provides additional support for local governments through the Energy and Mineral Impact Program administered by the Department of Local Affairs (DOLA). Salida continues to receive tremendous support through this program for many improvements.
The water department utilized $500,000 from DOLA in the last two years to help construct the new water tank at the airport and other improvements to the water treatment plant. They also provided $20,000 towards an engineering study of the wastewater treatment plant.
The City and County jointly received $1,750,000 from DOLA towards the planning and renovation of the old hospital into a new home for City Hall, Salida Police, Chaffee County Human Services and other agencies. We were also awarded $442,238 from DOLA to leverage the lawsuit settlement and rebuild the hot water line from the source to the aquatic center.
Grants are not “free money”. It takes many hours of staff or community volunteer time to write the applications, promote partnerships, administer the grants, and follow up with reporting requirements. Additionally, many of the grants we receive have additional funds or in-kind work pledged by other community organizations. I would like to extend our thanks to all of the staff and community members who devote money and hours of time to helping us to take advantage of these funds and improve our community.
City staff is always on the lookout for new grant opportunities. We use these funds to leverage local tax revenues towards maintenance of facilities and improvements for the community. If you have any questions about the projects discussed above or other grant opportunities, please contact City Hall.
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