Ottawa City Hall will apply again for a grant to tear down the current YMCA building when the organization moves into its new one. The grant would bring about $2.2 million from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The city’s share would be $730,000. Mayor Dan Aussem says the city didn’t get the grant the first time it applied, but FEMA also encouraged the city to apply again.
It’s the same kind of flood buyout grant program the city got for the homes that used to be where Fox River Park is now. The money comes with conditions that the land can’t be used again for any kind of building that would cost a lot to replace or repair after it’s flooded. The old YMCA spot could be turned into a vegetation area along the Fox River.