Area towns to upgrade water facilities with help of federal grants

Akron and three other surrounding communities have been chosen for federal grants to improve water and facilities.

Lt. Governor Suzanne Crouch and the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs announced today 14 rural Indiana communities will receive more than $8 million in federal grant funding to expand community facilities and improve water infrastructure.

“When quality of life in rural Indiana is high, it improves the quality of life of our entire state,” said Lt. Gov. Crouch, Indiana’s Secretary of Agriculture and Rural Development. “I celebrate the work of these rural towns and cities who took the extra step to improve their communities by earning these grants.”

The Office of Community and Rural Affairs 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.

"Congratulations to these rural towns and cities for their hard work in earning these grant funds," said OCRA Executive Director Duke Bennett. "Quality of life improvement projects such as these can be transformational for our Hoosier communities and their residents."

The Public Facilities Program creates and expands community facilities that enhance the lives of residents. Eligible projects include fire stations, community facilities, libraries, museums, community centers and performance spaces that open doors to knowledge, ideas, culture and enjoyment.

The goals of the Wastewater and Drinking Water program are to protect resident and environmental health, reduce utility rates for low-to-moderate income communities and improve rural infrastructure to enable long-term economic growth.

Projects receiving Wastewater and Drinking Water program grant funding include:

• The Town of Akron is awarded $700,000 to improve the overall water quality, water pressure and firefighting capabilities within the town. This grant will support the replacement of all valves and internal piping in the town’s water supply wells, improvements at the water treatment plant, rehabilitation of water storage tanks and upsizing the existing town water main.
• The Town of Converse will receive $700,000 to update the town's water treatment plant and replace water meters. The project also includes the installation of a new mixer in the elevated water storage tank that will reduce freeze concerns during cold weather which will improve town water quality.
• The Town of Francesville is awarded $700,000 to make repairs and improvements to the town's water treatment plant. The grant will also fund the replacement of individual service meters in their current meter pits.
• The Town of Hamlet will receive $700,000 to support improvements to the drinking water system. The grant will include new meter pits, meters, water mains, valves, hydrants and a Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system.