Lazaro Aleman
ECB Publishing, Inc.
County officials are pursuing grants that, if secured, would allow for upgrades at the recreation park and the replacement of damaged guardrails on local roads.
The first grant opportunity that County Manager Shannon Metty presented to the Jefferson County Commission for consideration at a recent meeting involved the Rural Infrastructure Fund (RIF), which is administered by the Florida Department of Commerce (FDOC), formerly known as the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity.
“This grant provides funding for public infrastructure improvements in rural communities and is well-suited for proposed lighting upgrades at the recreation park,” Metty said, adding that the upgrades would enhance safety, extend the park’s usable hours, and improve the overall experience for residents and visitors alike.
The RIF grant, she said, required no local match.
The second grant opportunity that she mentioned was Rebuild Florida, a disaster recovery program also administered by the FDOC that utilizes federal funding to assist residents, businesses, and local governments in the state repair and rebuild homes and infrastructure damaged by natural disasters, such as hurricanes and tornadoes.
The staff’s proposal, Metty said, aimed at using this potential funding to repair and replace damaged guardrails throughout the county, thereby improving road safety and resilience. The grant, she added, also did not require a local match and aligned with the ongoing efforts to restore infrastructure impacted by last year’s rash of storms.
The two grants, Metty added, were part of a lengthy list of grant opportunities compiled by county staff in coordination with WSB, formerly known as AE Engineering and one of the county’s contracted consultant engineering firms.
The partnership, Metty said, had allowed the county to strategically identify funding sources that supported key initiatives such as park infrastructure improvements, updates to the land development code, disaster recovery for public infrastructure, and historic preservation of county-owned assets.
The list of grant opportunities that she cited included several earmarked for the acquisition and development of land for public outdoor recreational uses, others to facilitate the planning, preparing and financing of infrastructure projects in rural communities, and yet others to improve housing, community facilities, and economic development projects in rural areas for historic preservation.