City receives intake grant
BY ALYSSA MEIER
Editor
The final bill for a potential intake update was just cut significantly, as Washburn City officials get word that a previously-denied grant has now been awarded federal grant money.
Plans to pursue a new intake for the city received a big blow earlier this year when a 75-percent match grant through FEMA was denied. AE2S Engineers delivered the news to commissioners in April and suggested shelving the intake project for a year to allow for re-application of the grant money.
That plan was thrown off course -- for the better -- this week with news that there was more grant money available than had been assigned initially.
“The government had extra money left over and went through FEMA grants and went through projects to reassign,” AE2S Engineer Eric Lothspeich told Washburn City Commissioners Monday. “North Dakota was awarded four ore projects, and one of those projects was the intake.”
The grant money approval means cutting down further on the $3 Million project, which is also getting assistance from a 65-35 percent match funding from the State Water Commission. Lothspeich said the commission could also add more to the project to take advantage of the additional grant money, suggesting a backup generator for the intake.
