Ayres Associates came to the regular Village of Boyd board meeting Monday, May 13, presenting on options the village had to finance building projects.
Appearing to the board along with Brian Lambert, grant writer Lisa Fugett went over several programs available as the board looks to address village infrastructure in years to come.
Starting out with a brief introduction on what Ayres is and does, Fugett moved into her presentation, touching on five grant options for the village to consider, several requiring a match. The five options presented were:
1) DOA - Community Development Block Grant - Public Facilities Grant
2) USDA Rural Development - Water and Wastewater Disposal Loan and Grant
3) DNR - Safe Drinking Water Loan
4) DNR - Clean Water Fund Program, and
5) WEDC - Community Development Investment Program
As to the first option, Fugett shared that the program through the Department of Administration helped support infrastructure and facilities projects for communities such as drainage systems, water and sewer systems, and sidewalks. Grants were limited to projects that met a CDBG National objective, with projects benefitting low to moderate income (LMI) persons given priority.
“Boyd as a whole does not meet that threshold,” Fugett said of the CDBG Public Facilities Grant and Low to moderate income status.
That said, the grant could still work for projects in specific areas, provided that residents in the given area of the village did meet that threshold, the area in consideration being East Patten Street, for which an income survey would be needed. If qualified, the grant offered up to $1 million, with a match of $500,000 from the village.
Up for consideration next at the Boyd regular board meeting was the USDA Rural Development Grant option, used to fund construction and improvement of water sourcing, treatment, storage and distribution, as well as sewer and stormwater collection, transmission, and disposal. The Rural Development Grant option would be a low interest loan with the possibility of principle forgiveness if certain conditions were met.
Option 3 was a Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Safe Drinking Water Loan, able to be used for water main replacement and with a fixed interest rate on a long term loan. Also eligible for principle forgiveness, it involved an Intent to Apply (ITA) and Priority Evaluation and Ranking Formula (PERF) form, both due Oct. 31 of this year. The deadline for a principle forgiveness application with option 3 was September 25, 2025.
Contenting with her presentation, Fugett touched on the DNR Clean Water Fund Program for option 4, able to be used for sewer replacement. Also having a fixed interest rate on a long term loan, the deadlines for ITA, PERF and a principle Forgiveness application were the same as option 3.
Closing out the options for funding village infrastructure projects, the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) offered a Community Development Investment Program. Able to provide financial support for shovel ready projects, the WEDC option emphasized downtown and community-driven efforts, while projects had to deliver “significant, measurable benefits in job opportunities, property values, or investment by local/private partners.
Next walking the board through what the grant process entailed and highlighting ways that Ayres could assist the village, Fugett closed her presentation by standing for questions. Starting out the question session was Trustee Sarah McQuillan.
“What are the fees?” She asked, with Fugett responding that they were based on hours worked by Ayres. Next up for questions was Trustee Michael Eslinger who asked about pricing and the level of drawings needed to apply.
“What level of drawings do we need?” He asked. Fugett answered that the DNR would require water and sewer in the plan, requisting plans and design specs to be at 30 percent completion.
As to pricing, services by Ayres would be contracted at “amount not to exceed,” capping the funds paid out by the village for the process.