CDBG funds proposal draws questions from Weirton council members
WEIRTON -- A proposal set to be presented to Weirton Council Monday would shift a portion of the city's allotment of Community Development Block Grant funds to a new project, although some officials feel more discussion is needed.
A resolution was presented to the city's Finance Committee Friday that would amend the planned use of CDBG and CDBG-Coronavirus funds but did not receive a recommendation.
Ward 1 Councilman Tim Connell raised concerns about the proposal, saying it involved funding for a project in his ward.
"Those funds were my funds," he said, indicating he had not been involved in discussions about the changes.
Risha Marple, grant administrator for the city's Planning Department who oversees administration of CDBG funds, explained that a portion of the funding previously had been programmed for improvements to the Bennett Drive playground.
She said the project, which has been discussed for the past two years, stalled because of a lack of interest from contractors. The city is required to receive at least three bids for projects using CDBG funds and made multiple attempts to attract interest, including reaching out to companies that have worked with the Park Board in the past.
"We put it out there three times," Marple said. "Nobody wanted to touch it."
Marple told the Finance Committee that Parks Director Coty Shingle was agreeable to releasing the funds for another project. She also noted that a public hearing on the CDBG funds had been held.
According to a copy of the resolution, $51,605.99 in CDBG-Coronavirus funds would be reprogrammed from improvements to the Bennett Drive playground to a proposed outdoor gathering space for the Weirton Senior Center.
While neither Connell nor Ward 4 Councilman Rick Stead expressed concerns about the proposed use of the funds, both said the matter should have been brought before the Weirton Park Board. Connell and Stead both represent City Council on the Park Board.
"It's something that probably should have been discussed," Stead said.
An additional $76,006.67 in CDBG funds also would be provided to the Senior Center project. Of that amount, $8,700 would come from an allotment previously awarded to CHANGE Inc. for the purchase of Cortexflo equipment, while $67,306.67 would come from a sidewalk restoration project in low- to moderate-income neighborhoods.
Marple explained that if the funds are not used by November, the city risks losing them.
Although the resolution did not receive a recommendation Friday, it still will go before Weirton Council during its meeting at 7 p.m. Monday.
Other items scheduled to go before council, which did receive recommendations from the Finance Committee, include:
-- A resolution for a contract with Dell Technologies to purchase Microsoft 365 licenses at a cost of $1,732.18 per month.
-- A resolution for a contract to trade in a used street sweeper toward the purchase of a new Elgin Whirlwind street sweeper at a cost of $375,640. It was noted the purchase was budgeted in 2024, with the bank requiring an updated resolution for the financing package.
-- Resolutions for the purchase and upfitting of three 2026 Ford Explorers for the Weirton Police Department, with the purchase totaling $140,973 and upfitting costing $39,693.
-- Resolutions to revise the 2026-27 fiscal year general and coal severance budgets to accommodate updated figures from the end of the 2025-26 fiscal year.