Del Norte County officials are seeking REAP funding to replace a culvert on Washington Boulevard east of Harrold. | Google Maps

Previously:

• Del Norte Transportation Officials Delay Funding Requests for City, County Projects

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The Del Norte County Planning Division is seeking public comment on a proposal to replace a culvert on Washington Boulevard they say could sever Sutter Coast Hospital from Jack McNamara Field if it fails.

This public outreach is necessary for Del Norte County to receive grant dollars through the Regional Early Action Planning (REAP) Grant Program from the state Department of Housing and Community Development, according to a county news release Wednesday.

The county plans to apply for $2.5 million in REAP funds, which is the preliminary engineer’s estimate to replace the culvert, according to the release. Community Development Director Heidi Kunstal said she didn’t know how strong the county’s grant application would be, but felt this project would be the “best fit we could have given the short timeframe we had to identify projects.”

“I have no idea whether or not this project is going to be awarded any money,” Kunstal told the Wild Rivers Outpost. “It felt like it was worth staff time to put together (a proposal) and see whether or not it would be.”

The existing 24-inch corrugated metal culvert crosses Washington Boulevard east of Harrold Street. It’s 125 feet long and 25 feet below the road, according to the news release.

According to the county’s news release, the Board of Supervisors approved an agreement for the environmental, permitting and design aspect of the replacement culvert, but the construction is currently unfunded.

The public outreach comes about a month after Assistant County Engineer Rosanna Bower presented the project to the Del Norte Local Transportation Commission along with a request for $515,000 in Coronavirus Response and Relief Appropriations Act dollars.

The county’s request competed against a proposal from Crescent City officials, who asked for the $515,000 to help supplement funding it has to extend the Front Street reconstruction project another three blocks.

DNLTC officials tabled the decision after City Manager Eric Wier offered the use of the city’s sewer camera to inspect the Washington Boulevard culvert. According to Kunstal, the DNLTC will likely take up the matter again at a meeting in January.

“I think we’re still interested in that other funding source,” Kunstal told the Outpost. “Whenever we convene again, hopefully we’ll have new information — one of their concerns was the status of the pipe on our project. We’re going to have an idea if it is really bad or if it’s something that might be OK for a couple years. We’ll have that data to share.”

According to the county’s news release, the Community Development Director plans to seek the Board of Supervisor’s approval on its REAP grant application on Dec. 13. Public comment will be accepted on the project by 5 p.m. Dec. 28.

The principal goal of the REAP 2.0 program is to make funding available to tribal and rural entities for projects that meet housing and equity goals and reduces the number of vehicle miles traveled per capita.

For more information about the proposed culvert replacement and grant, click here.

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