Ione – The Ione City Council discussed planning grants totaling $70,000 to plan for fighting blight Tuesday, directing staff to work toward getting grants for a reclaimed water master plan and also work infrastructure work at Howard Park. City Manager Kim Kerr said the city could apply for 2 grants for “Planning and Technical Assistance” from the Community Development Block Grant program. The maximum for each grant is $35,000, and funds would have to be used for planning and technical work and must be directed at ending blight in the city. She said the program is “first come, first served,” and the city was a “week late last year and they ran out of money. We will be waiting at the door” this year. Kerr said: “Our goal is to have it all ready to go when their doors open.” The council discussed areas to address. Mayor Lee Ard wanted to improve “the older part of Ione.” Kerr said it can only be used to develop plans, and the council should identify how it can help the most people, “then we can go for a Community Development Block Grant,” after the plans are made. She said they can find out how they can enhance buildings, both inside and out. Councilwoman Andrea Bonham asked if they can use the grants for engineering, but she did not want to write plans that were not used. Planner Christopher Jordan said it may be possible. Bonham wanted to use a grants for planning development at Howard Park, and aim at long-term investment that gets the best bang for the buck. Councilman David Plank said it could include finding a location for a new play station, and long-range planning. Kerr said that would include looking for land, finding sewer and water service and seeing how to connect. Councilman Jim Ulm suggested planning for a reclaimed water system. Kerr said that could be used to write a “reclaimed water and wastewater master plan.” She said part of that would be to look at areas that use potable water for toilets and irrigation, and find where reclaimed water can be used instead. The council also listed a new police station, improving low-income housing and park planning facilities. They rated the reclaimed water and wastewater plan as the top priority. Kerr said it could especially help Howard Park, which irrigates with raw water. The applications will be prepared by Jordan and brought back to the city council later. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.