CROTHERSVILLE

FPBH Inc. reviewed the four bids submitted for this year’s road paving project in Crothersville.

Wingham Paving Inc. of Charlestown had the lowest and most responsible bid at $242,584, and the Crothersville Town Council unanimously approved awarding the project to the Clark County company during a recent meeting.

The other bids were $268,482.18 from All-Star Paving Inc. of Seymour, $296,418.15 from Dave O’Mara Contractor Inc. of North Vernon and $301,700 from E and B Paving Inc. of Jeffersonville.

Utility Director Mason Boicourt said it was good to see the low bid come in more than $100,000 cheaper than the engineer’s estimate.

"The town match went down, too. It went down drastically because I think we wanted to add a few little small sections here and there, and we asked you guys for a little bit more money. I think it was like $90,000, which is more than we’ve ever done in the past," he said.

"But now, it’s back down to almost what we would normally do," he said. "It didn’t hurt to go ahead and throw it out there and see what you could get because things are so competitive right now as far as asphalt goes."

Earlier this spring, Crothersville was selected for Community Crossings Matching Grant program funding for the fourth time, receiving $359,897.25.

In 2020, the town also was awarded the full amount it applied for — $206,298.75. That followed the nearly $641,000 in CCMG funding the town received for paving projects in 2018 and 2019.

To qualify for funding, local governments must provide local matching funds — 50% for larger communities or 25% for smaller communities — from a funding source approved for road and bridge construction. They must also submit an Indiana Department of Transportation-approved asset management plan for maintaining existing roads and bridges.

State law requires annually that 50% of the available matching funds be awarded to communities within counties with a population of 50,000 or fewer. State lawmakers identified long-term funding for CCMG as part of House Enrolled Act 1002, passed by the legislature and signed into law by Gov. Eric Holcomb in April 2017.

Council President Danieta Foster said the town has a budget of between $80,000 and $90,000 for road funding. The availability of the grant allows Crothersville to stretch its road budget far beyond what it could accomplish without it, she said.

"We have made a huge dent in the amount of work that was needed five years ago," Foster said earlier this year when CCMG funding was awarded. "Most of the big projects have been conquered as far as roads go."

This year, work will be done on nine streets: Kovener Street, Walnut Street, Myers Street, Seymour Road, Vine Street, Dixon Street, South Dismore Street, North Dismore Street and Bard Street.

Crothersville is among 218 cities, towns and counties in Indiana receiving a combined $100.2 million in state matching funds for local road projects through the first round of CCMG, a component of Holcomb’s Next Level Roads program.

The initiative has provided more than $931 million in state matching funds for local construction projects since 2016.

Communities submitted applications for funding during a highly competitive call for projects in January. Applications were evaluated based on need and current conditions and impacts to safety and economic development. Funding for CCMG comes from the state’s local road and bridge matching grant fund.

A second call for projects closes at 5 p.m. July 30. Communities and counties can only receive funding once a year.