Council approves using business loan grant monies for Memorial Park restrooms

At its Wednesday, Oct. 19 meeting, the Susanville City Council unanimously approved Resolution No. 22-6067 to allow the expenditure of S148,240 originally awarded for Business Assistance Relief due to the COVID-19 pandemic through a Community Development Block Grant to be used to build new restrooms at Memorial Park.

According to the staff report, the funding “was to provide business loans to eligible businesses that could provide a nexus of negative economic impacts to their business due to COVID-19 … At award of these funds, 29 contracts were awarded funding Business Assistance Relief, of those contracts over 29 are experiencing program activity challenges and/or are a ending their contracts to allocate funding to a new activity which can be executed successfully in the grant performance period without losing the funding awarded.”

According to the staff report, “implementing this grant activity successfully would require hiring qualified consultants and therefore funding allocated toward the business assistance relief would be significantly reduced and available funding would be consumed by procuring a qualified consultant and loan underwriter. Staff received direction on Sept. 21 to amend grant activity and allocate funding to a different allowable activity.”

According to the staff report, “The restroom facility at Memorial Park provides public restroom access to the community park visitors, as well as Lassen Community College Baseball program, Susanville Memorial Skate Crew, and various other events that occur throughout the year including the Junior Fishing Derby, the annual Show n Shine classic car show, among others.