Colusa officials submitted a grant request to the state last week to make improvements to the Colusa Sacramento River State Recreation Area.
The city council, at a special meeting on Aug. 24, authorized City Manager Jesse Cain and Economic Development Director Kristy Levings to apply for a grant by the Aug. 31 deadline.
The California Locally-Operated State Parks Program provides competitive grants to help fund repairs and renovations to aging state park infrastructure on state property turned over to local jurisdictions to manage, Cain said.
The City of Colusa has operated the Colusa state park since 2011 after the California Department of Parks and Recreation announced its possible closure, along with 69 other recreation areas, as a part of a two-year $33 million budget cutback.
At the time, the Colusa park cost the state about $211,000 a year to operate, largely in Sacramento administrative overhead, but generated only $56,000 annually in revenue.
Cain said the state park is eligible for a minimum $100,000 up to $4.6 million from the LOSPP program, although the city is hoping to secure about $823,000 to make needed repairs and improvements.
“This grant can be used to help fix up the park, make the park more manageable and easy to maintain, and make it more secure,” Cain said.
City staff has prepared a list of projects within the Colusa state park that could be eligible for funding, including renovating the showers and replacing the tile shower walls, the non-working coin-operated valves, and the on-demand water heaters.
The city also wants to rehabilitate the septic system and make repairs that ensure public health and safety is being met. The grant could also cover replacement of the automatic payment machine, and improved security measures at the front gate.
The city also seeks to replace all the irrigation valves with battery operated valves that will reduce labor costs and help conserve water. Additional improvements include replacing damaged or aged campground features (picnic tables and barbecue grills), and renovating the turf area by grading, aerating, and seeding with drought tolerant grass.
The city also wants to reseal and stripe the pavement throughout the park, and replace the damaged and abandoned boarding float at the non-motorized boat ramp.
Grant funding will also be used to replace the split-rail fencing along Roberts Ditch.
Roberts Ditch recently dredged the inlet that feeds the Roberts Ditch Irrigation District pumps, located behind the old board ramp.
The process, which included a lengthy permitting process, started in about 2016 and was approved in 2018, said District President Vincent Andreotti.
The Roberts Ditch project was funded by the district, although the City of Colusa contributed about $20,000 out of the sewer reserve fund to help pay to have about 800 loads of dirt from the ditch hauled to the wastewater treatment plant. Cain said the dirt will be used to fill in one of the old sewer ponds to create a pad for a maintenance shed, saving the city about $60,000, while opening an outlet in the state park for non-motorized watercraft like canoes and kayaks.
“This is a great community project,” Andreotti said. “The ditch provides much needed water for the district and an opportunity for additional access to the river for recreation.”
Cain has been working with Matt Teague, district superintendent with California state parks, to develop the project lists at the Colusa recreation area that would make it more enjoyable for users and attract more visitors.
The Colusa state park is currently open for day-use recreation, provides campsites for individual family camping, offers quick and easy access to the river via the boat launch, with adequate parking, and has trails for active recreation such as hiking, running, and bird watching.
Cain said there is a 25 percent match required for the LOSPP grant, but the City of Colusa could request a waiver or reduction for being a disadvantaged community.
California Locally-Operated State Parks Program grants are funded by Proposition 68, which voters passed in 2018, authorizing $4 billion in general obligation bonds for state and local parks, environmental protection projects, water infrastructure, and flood protection.
The state anticipates announcing the grant awards by late 2021 or early 2022. ■