AUBURN – A New Auburn park and work on a Court Street retaining wall would wait, according to a proposed community development block grant budget.

Instead, the city would study building an underpass connecting bike paths on either side of the Longley Bridge and consider building a skate park, said Reine Mynahan, community development administrator.

Mynahan presented a proposed block grant budget to councilors during a workshop Monday. They’re scheduled to adopt the block grant spending plan and begin work on their fiscal year 2004-05 budget on May 3.

In all, Mynahan’s budget calls for $1.5 million in block grant spending. Money would go to economic development, affordable housing and loan programs, public improvements and capital items and public service programs.

The city would wait to work on a retaining wall near the Longley Bridge on Court Street, she said. The budget calls for studying building a bike path underpass there.

“It doesn’t make sense to spend the money on a wall there until we know what’s going to fit with the underpass,” said Mark Adams, assistant city manager.

Adams said the city recreation department was working with Auburn Middle School students on a planned Union Street skate park. That would replace existing tennis courts, he said. It would cost $76,300 in block grant money.

“The understanding would be that there would be some fund-raising on the part of the students,” Adams said.

Auburn, Lewiston, Portland and Bangor get block grant money from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The money helps the cities pay for economic development, public improvements, public services and similar programs.

[email protected]