City approves GTIB loan for Bay / Newcastle roundabout
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City approves GTIB loan for Bay / Newcastle roundabout
The City of Brunswick has committed to a $1 million loan from the State Road and Tollway Authority’s (SRTA) Georgia Georgia Transportation Infrastructure Bank (GTIB) for construction of the roundabout at Bay and Newcastle Streets. The City Commission approved the loan agreement during their Sept. 2 meeting.
The City applied for a $2 million grant from SRTA and was awarded a $1 million grant and a $1 million loan.
The grant does not require a local match. The low interest loan carries a 2.56% interest rate and a $10,000 closing fee.
The $2 million in grant and loan funds will cover half of the estimated $4.2 million cost leaving $2.2 million to come from SPLOST 2022.
It was proposed that current state LMIG (local maintenance and improvement grant) funds plus future LMIG funds could pay the loan back over four years. During the city’s work session prior to the meeting, Mayor Pro Tem Lance Sabbe said he would rather not commit to using LMIG funds to pay back the loan. He suggested evaluating each year where the funds would come from.
The City plans to begin construction of the roundabout as soon as the design is approved. Public Works Director Garrow Alberson anticipates project construction bids will go out this fall.
• The Commission approved a $35,000 amendment to the Goodwyn Mills Cawood (GMC) contract relating to engineering and design services for tide control at Prince St. and the Lanier Blvd. basin.
A National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) funded 60% of the the design for the Lanier Blvd. and Glynn Middle School area to address flooding.
The second phase of the project is funded through an Infrastructure Capacity Building-Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) grant through the Georgia Coastal Management Program (GCMP).
The second phase originally included two sets of culvert crossings: Lanier Blvd. across from Marshwinds Apartments and the Prince Street outfall at Prince and Bartow Streets.
A third and unfunded culvert in the NFWF project area was identified as critical for tide control to protect a newly designed constructed stormwater wetland south of Glynn Middle School, as well as keep existing drainage ditches along MLK Jr. Blvd. from converting to coastal marsh jurisdictional areas and becoming more complex to maintain.
The third culvert, at 4th Avenue and the end of MLK Jr. Blvd. at the abandoned CSX railroad crossing, will be packaged along with the other two included in the BIL grant and submitted for a Coastal Marshland Protection Act (CMPA) permit.
The city worked with Georgia Dept. of Natural Resources Coastal Resources Division to extend the grant project until Nov. 30. GMC will work to complete the design and submit permits on or before Nov. 30.
• The commission approved a commitment to provide $200,000 in local funding toward construction of Phases III and IV of the College Park drainage improvement project.
Phases I and II are complete and were primarily funded by a CDBG-DR (Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery) grant with local matches from the city and county. Total cost of the two phases was $14.1 million.
Phase III includes construction of a large box culvert between Old Cypress Mill Rd. and Altama Avenue and will connect to a culvert installed during Phase I. Estimated construction cost is $8.4 million.
Phase IV includes drainage improvements and pipe crossings along Old Cypress Mill Rd. which will convey runoff toward the Phase III box culvert. Estimated cost is $2.1 million.
Property acquisition for both phases is estimated at $273,800. Total cost for both phases including property acquisition is $11.4 million.
Glynn County plans to submit a joint application with the city for CDBG-DR funding to finance the project. Glynn County plans to contribute $500,000 towards the project and the city has committed $200,000 which will come from SPLOST storm drainage funds.
• The commission approved a $100,000 funding match resolution for a Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) grant for College Park playground improvements. The $200,000 cost will be covered by the $100,000 grant and $100,000 from SPLOST. The pre-application for the LWCF grant, due Oct. 2, requires an approved resolution.
