Last Updated on August 31, 2023 by Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs
INDIANAPOLIS – Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch and the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs today announced 17 rural Indiana communities will receive $11.1 million in federal grant funding to create and expand community facilities, and improve water infrastructure.
“I applaud the local leaders across Indiana who always take the extra step when it comes to bettering the lives of their community members,” said Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch, Indiana’s Secretary of Agriculture and Rural Development, “I look forward to seeing how each of these projects revitalize rural Indiana.”
The State of Indiana distributes Community Development Block Grant funds to rural communities, which assist units of local government with various community projects such as infrastructure improvement, downtown revitalization, public facilities and economic development.
“Quality of life improvement projects such as these can be transformational for our rural towns and cities,” said OCRA Executive Director Denny Spinner. “I commend the leaders in each of these 17 communities for investing in critical infrastructure needs to improve their public facilities, stormwater management and wastewater or drinking water systems.”
The Public Facilities Program creates and expands community facilities that enhance the lives of residents in numerous ways. Eligible projects include fire stations, community facilities, libraries, museums, community centers and performance spaces that open doors to knowledge and ideas, culture, and enjoyment.
Projects receiving Public Facilities Program grant funding include:
- Martin County, on behalf of the Shoals Public Library, is awarded $500,000 to expand the existing library. The project will include the addition of a new two-story building to the back of the library. The construction of the new addition will include an elevator to provide full ADA access as well as new ADA restrooms. Energy efficiency upgrades and additional programming space and storage will also be added.
The Stormwater Improvement Program strives to reduce flooding, cut stormwater treatment and energy costs, protect rivers, lakes and vital landscapes, and generate jobs to spur economic revitalization.
Projects receiving Stormwater Improvement Program grant funding include:
- The Town of Bargersville is awarded $600,000 to make stormwater improvements in the Three Notch Neighborhood, including new stormwater pipe, inlets and catch basins. This project will replace failing lines and cracked lines leading to sinkholes in the community. The project will also reduce the amount of water in the road after rain events.
- The Town of Cloverdale is awarded $600,000 to make necessary improvements to its stormwater system. The scope includes improvements to various culverts and the creation of new open ditches. This project will correct ponding water and improve stormwater infrastructure that is currently undersized to address stormwater backup experienced by residents.
- The Town of Farmersburg is awarded $600,000 for the rehabilitation of existing limited and failing drainage systems. This includes the areas of First, Second and Seventh Avenues, Cyrus Street, Heap to Ohio and Fifth to Sixth Streets, where stormwater is flowing into low-lying areas. This project will improve conveyance of flows to existing dedicated stormwater handling structures, reducing overflows from entering the wastewater system.
- The City of Huntington is awarded $600,000 to reduce flooding by upgrading the stormwater utility within the Home Place Addition. The stormwater system will be separated from the sanitary sewer and a new storm sewer network will be constructed. A detention pond will be added between Park Street and Etna Avenue. Roadways within the project area will be reconstructed and upgraded with new curb and gutters, drainage inlets and a sidewalk.
- The Town of Ingalls is awarded $600,000 for stormwater improvements in the Old Town area. This project will include installing new stormwater pipes, inlets and manholes to mitigate flooding issues residents currently experience.
The goals of the Wastewater/Drinking Water Program are to protect public health and the environment, reduce utility rates for low-to-moderate income communities, and improve rural infrastructure to enable long-term economic growth.
Projects receiving Wastewater Drinking Water Program grant funding include:
- The Town of Bunker Hill is awarded $600,000 to rehabilitate 100 manholes and eliminate 11 sewer cross connections. The project will line and seal the manholes, reducing inflow and infiltration by at least 72%. The proposed project will reduce or eliminate flooding and improve the quality of life for town residents.
- The Town of Cayuga is awarded $700,000 for the system-wide rehabilitation of the town’s overall water system components. This includes wellfield upgrades and distribution improvements to enhance treatment and supply. Additionally, the project will increase fire protection and reduce health risks by eliminating lead components within the water system.
- The Town of Clay City is awarded $700,000 to build a new elevated water tower and to demolish the existing tower. The current tower is a 75,000-gallon water tank built in 1949. The new tower will reduce the amount of boil orders and improve water pressure for residents.
- The Town of Gosport is awarded $700,000 to make needed improvements to its water treatment plant and distribution system. The town has identified four priority areas of concern that will receive new water mains, hydrants and valves. The proposed project will also include replacing and rehabilitating the existing water treatment facility components. New meters will be installed and any lead service lines will be replaced.
- The Town of Kentland is awarded $700,000 to construct a new water treatment plant and rehabilitate the town’s wells. The project will include a new package water treatment plant, rehabilitating three wells with new flow meters, variable frequency drive pumps, electrical upgrades, a new raw water main, and replacing the supervisory control and data acquisition system.
- The Town of Kirklin is awarded $700,000 to improvement the town’s wastewater treatment plant and collection system. The wastewater treatment plant improvements include new wet weather storage facilities, a new mechanical fine screen and a new influent pump station. The project will also rehabilitate portions of the sanitary sewers deemed the highest priority problem areas associated with infiltration/inflow. The project will benefit residents by addressing a failing wastewater treatment plant, addressing current health and safety issues, and helping keep wastewater rates affordable for residents.
- The Town of Losantville is awarded $700,000 to build a new wastewater distribution system. Currently, the entire community is on septic systems and many of these septic systems have either failed, are currently failing, are undersized, were improperly designed, or are nonexistent. The project will include construction of a wastewater collection system, a sewage transfer line to deliver raw sewage to the Modoc treatment facility and a lift station.
- The Town of Mulberry is awarded $700,000 to make improvements to its two wastewater lift stations and the wastewater treatment plant to increase pumping and treatment capacity. The proposed project will improve operations, eliminate sewage back-up and overflows within the collection system, and will improve the quality of place throughout the community.
- The Town of New Market is awarded $700,000 to make improvements to the wastewater treatment plant, including installing a submerged aerated gravel reactor system to reduce the levels of pollutants such as ammonia in the wastewater. The SAGR system improves the overall efficiency of the plant by reducing the pollutants entering the system, improving the quality of wastewater entering the treatment plant, and as a result, reducing the cost of the treatment. Additionally, the plant will switch from a controlled discharge to a continuous discharge. This will allow the wastewater treatment plant to discharge whenever needed to help reduce overflows in the community.
- The Town of Paoli is awarded $700,000 for improvements to the water utility system. These improvements include the rehabilitation of a 417,000-gallon water storage standpipe and a 1-million-gallon ground level storage tank. The project will also include the replacement of 20 of the largest and oldest water meters.
- The Town of Walton is awarded $700,000 to make improvements to its wastewater collection system and manholes in the northeast section of town to eliminate infiltration and inflow into the system. The goal of this project is to eliminate the surcharging from the sewers into the streets and homes, as well as to address problems at the treatment plant caused by fluid volumes more than the maximum design capacity of the facility.
Funding for OCRA’s CDBG programs originates from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Community Development Block Grant program and is administered for the State of Indiana by OCRA. For more information, visit in.gov/ocra/cdbg.
SOURCE: News release from Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs