BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:icalendar-ruby CALSCALE:GREGORIAN X-WR-CALNAME:Lt. Gov. Crouch\, OCRA announce 13 communities to receive over $8 million in federal grants X-WR-TIMEZONE:Indiana (East) BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20261008T133721Z UID:tag:localist.com\,2008:EventInstance_45695437339991 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20240222 DESCRIPTION:INDIANAPOLIS (Feb. 22\, 2024) – Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch and the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs today announced 13 rural Indiana communities will receive more than $8 million in federal grant fu nding to create and expand community facilities\, remove blight and improv e water infrastructure.\n\n“Rural Indiana is the next great economic fro ntier\,” said Lt. Gov. Crouch\, Indiana’s Secretary of Agriculture and Rural Development. “But to achieve that success\, we can’t ignore the needed maintenance of basic\, but vital\, aspects of community infrastruc ture. This grant money will enable these 13 Hoosier communities to find ec onomic growth while improving health and safety across the state.” \n\ nThe 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 revitali zation\, public facilities and economic development.\n\n"Community Develop ment Block Grant projects can be transformational for communities\,” sai d OCRA Executive Director Duke Bennett. “I applaud the leaders from each of these 13 communities for taking advantage of the opportunity to furthe r improve their cities\, towns and counties."\n\nThe Public Facilities Pro gram creates and expands community facilities that enhance the lives of re sidents. Eligible projects include fire stations\, community facilities\, libraries\, museums\, community centers\, and performance spaces that open doors to knowledge and ideas\, culture\, and enjoyment.\n\nProjects recei ving Public Facilities Program grant funding include:\n\nDecatur County\, with the Decatur County Family YMCA\, is awarded $500\,000 for the complet ion of necessary building improvements to the YMCA. This project will enta il the structural replacement of the roof over the original 39\,000 square foot YMCA facility in Greensburg. This project will benefit the residents of Decatur County by stabilizing the structure so that continued public h ealth and social services can be provided\, improving the quality of life for Decatur County residents.The Town of Vevay is awarded $459\,410 for th e exterior rehabilitation of the Vevay Hoosier Theater. Rehabilitation of the building will include brick\, concrete masonry\, roofing\, window rest oration and door rehabilitation\, along with addressing issues caused by w ater infiltration.The Blight Clearance Program strives to encourage Indian a communities with blighted properties to focus on long-term community dev elopment and revitalization through improving quality of place\, generatin g jobs and spurring economic revitalization. Eligible projects to receive grant funding through BCP are deteriorated or abandoned downtown buildings or vacant and unusable industrial sites.\n\nOne project is receiving Blig ht Clearance Program grant funding:\n\nThe City of Tell City is awarded $5 00\,000 to demolish and clear the site of the former Perry County Memorial Hospital. All environmental hazards will be remediated prior to demolitio n\, including the abatement of identified asbestos and the removal of an u nderground storage tank. The building and surrounding debris will be clear ed and voids will be filled to give the site a uniform slope. The project will reduce health and safety hazards for residents.The Stormwater Improve ment Program strives to reduce flooding\, cut stormwater treatment and ene rgy costs\, and protect rivers\, lakes and vital landscapes. Types of acti vities that are eligible for this grant funding include stormwater improve ments\, as well as demolition and clearance.\n\nProjects receiving Stormwa ter Improvement Program grant funding include:\n\nThe Town of Selma is awa rded $600\,000 to make necessary improvements to its stormwater system. Th e project will install new inlets\, catch basins and a retention pond. Imp roved stormwater infrastructure will reduce flooding concerns for resident s.The Town of Fillmore is awarded $600\,000 to reduce flooding and sanitar y inflow and infiltration. The proposed project builds on a 2019 OCRA-fund ed Utility Study Plan to install stormwater infrastructure along North Mai n Street.The goals of the Wastewater/Drinking Water Program are to prote ct resident and environmental health\, reduce utility rates for low-to-mod erate income communities and improve rural infrastructure to enable long-t erm economic growth.\n\nProjects receiving Wastewater Drinking Water Progr am grant funding include: \n\nDekalb County is awarded $700\,000 to build a new wastewater treatment plant for the St. Joe Spencerville Regional Sew er District. The project consists of demolishing the existing treatment fa cility and the construction of new tanks and treatment facility.The Town o f Colfax is awarded $600\,000 to upgrade the town’s collection system. T his wastewater project includes rehabilitating 70 manholes and lining sewe r mains to extend the life of the infrastructure. As a result of a previou s OCRA Planning Grant for a Utility Study\, the project will reduce inflow and infiltration in the wastewater system.The City of Plymouth is awarded $700\,000 to rehabilitate the city’s elevated water storage tank and up grade various water mains. This project will improve water quality for res idents and enhance firefighting capabilities throughout the city.The Town of Walkerton is awarded $700\,000 to replace sewer line force mains in the Sunset/Grissom neighborhood. Replacing sewer lines and addressing flow is sues will reduce sewer backups experienced by residents and ensure long-te rm sustainability for the collection system.The City of Scottsburg is awar ded $700\,000 to line portions of the wastewater system and upgrade a lift station. The upgrades will reduce inflow and infiltration during rain eve nts and prevent sewer backups.The Town of Worthington is awarded $700\,000 to enhance the wastewater treatment plant’s capacity to remove ammonia from wastewater and to improve conditions for operator and resident safety .The City of Clinton is awarded $700\,000 to upgrade the wastewater treatm ent plant and reduce overflows for the community. The project will include installation of new sewer pipe and manholes as part of the city’s long- term control plan.The Town of Kingman is awarded $700\,000 to perform a co mprehensive rehabilitation of its water system. Upgrades will include impr ovements on the water treatment plant\, water storage facilities and distr ibution system.Funding for OCRA’s CDBG programs originates from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Community Development Blo ck Grant program and is administered for the State of Indiana by OCRA. For more information\, visit in.gov/ocra/cdbg. \n\n\n-30-\n\nUnder the leader ship of Lieutenant Governor Suzanne Crouch\, who serves as Indiana's Secre tary of Agriculture and Rural Development\, the Indiana Office of Communit y and Rural Affairs’ (OCRA) mission is to work with local\, state and na tional partners to provide resources and technical assistance to assist co mmunities in shaping and achieving their vision for community and economic development. For more information\, visit ocra.in.gov. LOCATION: SUMMARY:Lt. Gov. Crouch\, OCRA announce 13 communities to receive over $8 m illion in federal grants URL;VALUE=URI:https://events.in.gov/event/CDBG-Round2-2_22_24 CATEGORIES:Press Releases END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR