UPDATE: $2.2 Million in grant money will aid local communities with road work
August 25, 2016 at 5:11 p.m.
By Dan [email protected]
In anticipation of being awarded a large sum, county officials were already moving ahead on three road projects estimated to cost just under $2 million.
On Wednesday, officials learned they were awarded $997,028 – enough to cover half the cost of the projects.
The county’s prize is the biggest among six taxing units in the county that captured a total of $2.2 million. That was part of $51 million distributed by the state Wednesday to communities in northern indiana.
“To get 100 percent of what we asked for is unbelievable,” said Bob Conley, a county commissioner who was one of about a dozen people to attend a check presentation ceremony Thursday morning at the county highway garage. “We’re really excited to get these projects off the ground.”
Those projects are:
• County Farm Road, between CR 200S and 700S
• CR 350 between old U.S. 30 and U.S. 30
•Old Road 15 between Levi Lee Road and Armstrong Road.
The grant is the third recent infusion in new monies for the county, which received $1.3 million in an unexpected lump sum of local option income tax reserves from the state. Local officials are also seeing wheel tax revenues begin pouring in after the tax was established about two years ago.
The extra monies have allowed the county work begin to catch up on significant road repairs on much of its 1,100 miles across the county.
The boost in monies is allowing the county to climb out of a hole in terms of maintaining county roads, Highway superintendent Scott Tilden said.
The county opened bids on the projects earlier this week and will likely award the projects within a few weeks.
He said he’s hoping the three projects can be done this year. Regardless, the money needs to be used by June of 2017, Tilden said.
The state of Indiana announced Wednesday afternoon the awarding of matching grants for road construction for previously identified projects.
Communities must use money from local option income tax, wheel tax or rainy day funds, according to information provided by the state.
The city of Warsaw received more than $720,000 and has designated much of the money for a road maintenance program aimed to stretching the life of existing pavement.
Warsaw Mayor Joe Thallemer said they had received word ahead of time that the level of money sought would be made available.
“We’re very pleased with it,” Thallemer said. “We would like to see that level of support continue year after year.”
Winona Lake officials received more than $311,000 and plan to use the money on several projects. Those are: Reconstruction of Muirfield Street ($476,752), Wildwood Lane reconstruction ($51,501) and Wooster Road reconstruction (65,933).
The community crossings grant money was announced by the Indiana Department of Transportation.
In anticipation of being awarded a large sum, county officials were already moving ahead on three road projects estimated to cost just under $2 million.
On Wednesday, officials learned they were awarded $997,028 – enough to cover half the cost of the projects.
The county’s prize is the biggest among six taxing units in the county that captured a total of $2.2 million. That was part of $51 million distributed by the state Wednesday to communities in northern indiana.
“To get 100 percent of what we asked for is unbelievable,” said Bob Conley, a county commissioner who was one of about a dozen people to attend a check presentation ceremony Thursday morning at the county highway garage. “We’re really excited to get these projects off the ground.”
Those projects are:
• County Farm Road, between CR 200S and 700S
• CR 350 between old U.S. 30 and U.S. 30
•Old Road 15 between Levi Lee Road and Armstrong Road.
The grant is the third recent infusion in new monies for the county, which received $1.3 million in an unexpected lump sum of local option income tax reserves from the state. Local officials are also seeing wheel tax revenues begin pouring in after the tax was established about two years ago.
The extra monies have allowed the county work begin to catch up on significant road repairs on much of its 1,100 miles across the county.
The boost in monies is allowing the county to climb out of a hole in terms of maintaining county roads, Highway superintendent Scott Tilden said.
The county opened bids on the projects earlier this week and will likely award the projects within a few weeks.
He said he’s hoping the three projects can be done this year. Regardless, the money needs to be used by June of 2017, Tilden said.
The state of Indiana announced Wednesday afternoon the awarding of matching grants for road construction for previously identified projects.
Communities must use money from local option income tax, wheel tax or rainy day funds, according to information provided by the state.
The city of Warsaw received more than $720,000 and has designated much of the money for a road maintenance program aimed to stretching the life of existing pavement.
Warsaw Mayor Joe Thallemer said they had received word ahead of time that the level of money sought would be made available.
“We’re very pleased with it,” Thallemer said. “We would like to see that level of support continue year after year.”
Winona Lake officials received more than $311,000 and plan to use the money on several projects. Those are: Reconstruction of Muirfield Street ($476,752), Wildwood Lane reconstruction ($51,501) and Wooster Road reconstruction (65,933).
The community crossings grant money was announced by the Indiana Department of Transportation.
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