A path forward for entities such as the Platte County Health Department to receive a portion of the federal CARES Act funding allocated to the county has been established.
Commissioners approved the long-awaited CARES Political Subdivision Grant Program at the Monday, Nov. 2 administrative session, held at the Platte County Resource Center near KCI Airport.
Members of the Platte County Health Department’s board of directors have spoken out many times about the slow track commissioners have taken in creating a grant program for organizations on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic. Health Department director Mary Jo Vernon expressed her satisfaction with the final approval of the program.
“We are pleased to learn that the county commission has opened the application process for the health department,” Vernon said. “We will be completing our application as soon as possible and look forward to the opportunity to receive CARES Act funding.”
Presiding commissioner Ron Schieber said that the grant applications should be available on the county website by the end of the day on Monday. By Tuesday, Nov. 3 the 11-page application was available at co.platte.mo.us. The county has sought to keep the grant process as streamlined as possible, Schieber said.
“We are asking people to get the grant applications back to us no later than Monday, Nov. 30, but we encourage them to do it sooner because we anticipate that we may be able to take action on the applications in the weekly CARES sessions,” he said.
Director of administration Dana Babcock said the existing advisory committee will be able to look at applications and begin work on awarding grants before the submission deadline, so she encouraged applicants to respond as soon as possible.
According to the regulations approved Monday, funds shall be used only to cover costs made necessary due to the pandemic between March 1 and Dec. 30 and shall not be used as a revenue replacement for lower than expected tax or revenue collections.
Expenditures must adhere to federal guidance on necessary expenditures and subdivisions must retain documentation of all uses of funds. A full accounting report must be submitted to the county before March 1, 2021.
Funding provided to the health department falls under an additional memorandum of understanding among the health department, Platte County and the Missouri Treasurer’s Office.
NORTHWOOD ROAD
Also at the meeting, director of public works Bob Heim updated commissioners on the Northwood Road reconstruction project, near the new Walden Middle School, which has dragged on for some time due to various difficulties. The seventh change order in the project, adding $53,500 was approved, as was a supplemental agreement for construction inspection services at $14,000.
The change orders come due to more conflicts with utilities not identified by either the engineer or City of Kansas City. This time, contractors encountered an irrigation system at the school as well as gas and sewer lines near Northwest 58th Terrace.
Heim estimated that the more than $250,000 in change orders throughout the lengthy course of the project could negatively impact future portions of the project, such as the upcoming reconstruction of Green Hills Road and Waukomis Drive.
The project is funded through the county’s three-eighths cent roads tax, but through Kansas City’s portion, leaving county funds untouched. Platte County has acted as project manager for the reconstruction project.
Northwood Road is scheduled to be open by the end of November, barring more problems. Heim said the project was handed to Platte County with the understanding that the utility easements were already squared away, but this was not the case. He said some of the problems encountered could have been prevented, but others were probably unavoidable.
“It’ll be ideal if we can walk away from the project by the end of 2020, but I think there will be more behind the curb that the weather will catch us,” Heim said. This could cause delays in full completion into next year.
SHERIFF’S OFFICE DRONE
At a recent meeting, the commissioners approved the purchase of a drone for the Platte County Sheriff’s Office.
The contract with Influential Drones for the purchase of a FLIR (infrared) capable drone for $10,300 was approved after a brief presentation by Captain Tony Avery.
Avery said the drone would not record during operations unless a search warrant had already been obtained, to ensure the technology doesn’t invade the privacy of citizens. A similar drone did help assist in finding a missing 93-year-old woman in Cass County last week.
Currently, the sheriff’s office has five trained drone pilots on staff.