CROTHERSVILLE
The 16 inches of rainfall in June and July in Crothersville brought light to the town’s drainage and flooding issues.
That prompted town officials to pursue funds to improve the stormwater collection system.
Trena Carter with Administrative Resources association in Colum- bus gained the Crothersville Town Council’s approval this past week to apply for a disaster recovery grant through the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs.
The cost of the project would be $1,109,200. If the grant is approved, the town would have to provide a 10 percent local match, which would be $110,920. The money would come from the water and sewer depreciation funds.
That puts the grant request at $998,280.
“This year’s weather has caused more and more focus on drainage and flooding, which is unfortunate, but fortunate in terms of timing for this application,” council President Ardell Mitchell said.
“I’m glad the town is trying to get this done,” he said.
“This is a big first step in doing something communitywide, so I just want to continue discussion over the more recognized importance of dealing with drainage.”
Carter said the improvements would include the installation of a storm sewer along Park Avenue from Hominy Ditch to Howard Street, then turning on Howard Street to run to Kovener Street.
New concrete box culverts would be installed at Bethany Road and Park Avenue, and obstructions would be removed from Hominy Ditch to improve water flow.
The grant application deadline was extended to Sept. 25. Carter said grant recipients will be announced in November.
If awarded, the first step would be hiring an engineer to oversee the work. The design process would begin around the first of next year, bids would be sought, and work would begin about springtime.
Carter said the project would have to be completed in eight months.
During the council’s meeting Tuesday, a public hearing was conducted to give town residents a chance to learn more about the project and grant application and share their thoughts.
Once that was closed, the three-member council briefly discussed the resolution to apply for the grant before giving it unanimous approval.
“Let’s all hope the application gets approved,” Mitchell said.