Colusa citizens are passionate about getting their roads fixed – enough to show a higher turnout than usual at a community meeting held by Colusa officials.
The City Council, two days before the Feb. 9 community meeting at City Hall, authorized Colusa Grant Writer Fernanda Vanetta to seek a $20 million grant from the federal government to repair, rebuild, and modernize roads and pipelines on nine city streets around Colusa’s public schools.
Vanetta said she has until Feb. 28 to submit the RAISE (Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity) to U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg – and she is seeking support from community groups and organizations.
“RAISE grants are for investments in surface transportation that will have a significant local or regional impact,” Vanetta said.
The grants are intended to support an equitable transportation system by investing in underserved communities. They are also given to ensure public safety, improve quality of life, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change by increasing pedestrian use and providing accessibility to non-motorized travelers.
“If we can make our streets more walkable, we can be more inclusive – and that goes to improving our quality of life,” Vanetta said.
If received, the city intends to repair 4th Street, from Webster to Lafayette; 5th Street, from Webster to Sioc; 7th Street, from Webster to Sioc; 8th Street, from Freemont to Colus Ave.; Colus Ave., from Will S. Green to 8th; Fremont Street, from 5th to 3rd; Lafayette Street, from 4th to 3rd; Sioc Street, from 9th to 3rd; and Webster Street, from 10th to 3rd.
The Midtown School Road Project is a complete streets project that will include street, sidewalks, drainage, and lighting.
Vanetta said safe passage to and from schools will reduce motor vehicle congestion and vehicle idling time, and they encourage parents to walk their children to school. The addition of sidewalks and bike lanes would also benefit the most vulnerable and economically disadvantaged population by connecting them to city services and parks.
Colusa also has a large aging population, including those who use motorized wheelchairs but those who are mobile but would benefit from smooth, safe, and connected pathways.
“If we make it more walkable, we make it more inclusive,” Vanetta said.
The Midtown School Road Project would cover about 55,157 square yards of roadway, most of which have been determined to be in poor or failed condition, Vanetta said.
While RAISE grants do not necessarily require a cash match, officials hope the $2 million the city will offer in in-kind and administrative contributions will help boost the city’s chances of getting awarded.
“This is a very competitive grant,” said City Manager Jesse Cain.
Cain said the grant application also indicates the city’s intended annual maintenance cost for each street, ranging from $43,444 to $318,561, to show the Department of Transportation that the city intends to protect the taxpayers’ investment in the project.
The grant is funded through the Local and Regional Assistance Program in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill, which was signed into law by President Joe Biden in 2021.
Citizens who attended last week’s community meeting, many of them parents, said they were encouraged that, if the grant is awarded, Colusa will be able to fix street issues around Colusa’s schools that have put their children in danger for many years.
About 25 percent of Colusa’s total population are school-aged children, they said. ■