Chase County debriefs failed FLAP bridge application, looks to FEMA and regional programs for funding

A county grant staff member told the Chase County Commissioners on April 30 that the county’s application to the Federal Land Access Program (FLAP) did not receive funding and summarized the federal reviewers’ feedback.

The debrief: staff said the county’s budget estimate of about $155,000 did not align with the federal lead‑agency estimates, which treated the project as a larger, $2 million effort once federal procurement, survey, engineering and national cost assumptions were applied. Junction City, the awarded applicant, had completed pre‑engineering work and had matching local bond funding, which made its application more competitive.

Why it matters: federal reviewers expect projects that are ready to proceed or that demonstrate larger, federally compatible scopes; staff advised that future applications should avoid language that reads as maintenance and instead stress upgrades, accessibility and multimodal access. The staff member noted supportive partners (the Nature Conservancy and the National Park Service) helped strengthen applications elsewhere.

FEMA and other funding opportunities: the staff discussed FEMA mitigation grant money (a 75/25 match) that could be applied to flood‑prone roads like County Road 227 and described example approaches used by other Kansas communities to meet low‑ and moderate‑income survey requirements. Staff said the Bridge Improvement Program funds are likely to be reissued with availability extending through 2032 and suggested exploring regional collaborations to increase project scale and competitiveness.

Project management and procurement: staff said the county’s grant agreement has returned to KDOT for federal processing and that a grant administrator hire could be funded once that process completes; Ed Thornton at KDOT was cited as a project contact and staff estimated the county should be positioned to hire help within roughly two months.

Next steps: commissioners asked staff to develop an RFQ and to continue pursuing grant administration options and technical assistance. Staff said they will continue to pursue federal and mitigation sources and report back with refined budgets, partnering options and a timeline for hiring a grant administrator.