DUR approves funding requests, Rainey reappointed to board

The Red Oak Downtown Urban Renewal Board met for its regular meeting on Jan. 19.
Beginning July 1, the DUR Board will be working with a $70,000 funding stream, up from its prior funding amount of $50,000. The question was raised as to whether there was any cap on carry-over. DUR Board Member Pete Crawford said they had never been told there was a cap, but that wasn’t their goal.
“Our philosophy is that if we carry over a bunch of funding every year, then we will see our funding stream reduced,” Crawford said.
DUR Board Member Mark Jackson confirmed that the DUR Board had been receiving $80,000 per year, but they carried over so much funding during that time that the funding was reduced to $50,000. Outreach efforts, and recent projects that have used up the entirety of the DUR’s annual budget early led to the City of Red Oak to agree to boost the annual funding amount by $20,000 beginning this year.
“Because of the things that Roger Vial has been putting in place, and this board, the way we view things, we’re getting a lot more applications. The business owners in this area are beginning to realize it’s user friendly, and in the past it wasn’t. It takes a long time to get over those feelings,” said Jackson.
One of the biggest changes, Jackson said, was the decision to carry over funding requests to the next budget year if funding was used up in the current year.
“We were one of the businesses in the past that, back in the day, applied for grant money, and were going to do some stuff to our buildings, and then when they ran out of money, we were told it was gone. When we asked if we could re-apply, we were told we couldn’t. I could never understand that mindset,” commented Jackson.
The first item on the agenda was first round approval for a grant request from Andus Properties, LLC, for work at 400 E. Coolbaugh St.
“The grant request is for $7,500 for tuckpointing and brickwork on the south side of the building. The project was estimated at $30,200, which puts the grant maxed out at $7,500,” Vial said.
The application was determined as eligible to receive the grant, and was granted first round approval by the DUR Board.
The board then moved to projects in the final approval stage. The first was for the rehab of the second story of the Red Oak Chamber and Industry building at 301 E. Reed Street. Phase one of the project was updating the electrical, new HVAC units, and water heaters.
“That project is done, at a cost of $28,252 with a potential grant amount of $7,063. The Chamber paid Allensworth Heating and Cooling for two HVAC units, ductwork and gas lines, ad O’Neal electric for electrical upgrades. The total cost of the project came out to $30,257, so the grant request amount was updated to $7,500 due to the increased project cost,” explained Vial.
The DUR Board granted the request for final approval for the ROCIA project, as well as the final approval for the Andus Properties, LLC, project at 400 E. Coolbaugh St.
The last action items on the agenda were to grant final approval and request for funding for the ROCIA’s 307 E. Reed St. property, and the Andus Properties, LLC project at 400 E. Coolbaugh. Both were approved by the DUR Board.
Vial also advised the DUR Board that after conversations with Red Oak Mayor Shawnna Silvius, they had ironed out the current term expirations of the current DUR Board. Audie Rainey was reappointed to the Board, and Red Oak Park and Tree Board member Anna Boeye was appointed to the DUR Board. The final open appointment was yet to be determined.