Cottonwood Shores needs residents’ help to get street funds
Cottonwood Shores is asking residents to file letters of support in favor of an $8 million grant to widen city streets. The grant application deadline is Aug. 26. Letters from the community could give the city a fighting chance at securing state and federal funds.
The Cottonwood Shores City Council unanimously voted on Aug. 1 to apply for the Safe Streets and Roads 4 All grant program through the U.S. Department of Transportation, which is dispersing $5 billion to communities across the country needing roadwork.
The city wants $8 million of the pie to widen over 12 miles of roads that City Administrator J.C. Hughes said are dangerously narrow.
“This is an opportunity for Cottonwood to get some funds to widen our streets,” he said. “It would be safer for all the cars; it would be safer for emergency responders, for delivery trucks, for everyone.”
Much of Cottonwood Shores developed organically, and its streets were not designed with safety in mind, Hughes said. Many roads are 14-16 feet wide, making it difficult for cars to pass each other in some locations and dangerous for fire trucks, ambulances, and police vehicles to traverse during emergencies.
The grant money would widen the streets to 20-22 feet. The project is expected to take 1½ years.
The Safe Streets and Roads grant is an 80-20 match, with the city responsible for funding $1.6 million of the $8 million. To secure the grant, Hughes is asking residents to send letters of support to the city that can accompany the application by the Aug. 26 deadline.
“The more (letters of support) we get, it enhances our ability to get the grant,” he said. “We need to get it done as quickly as possible.”
Letters can include personal accounts of issues with driving city streets, explanations of how better roads could impact everyday life in Cottonwood Shores, and reasons why the grant would help the city. A template letter created by Hughes is available by request via city.admin@cottonwoodshores.org.
Personal letters should be emailed to city.admin@cottonwoodshores.org. Call the city at 972-567-7933 or 830-693-3830 for more information.