INDIANAPOLIS - Lt. Gov. Joe Kernan announced the awarding of a $400,000 grant from the Community Focus Fund. These grants are awarded twice annually by the Community Development Division of the Indiana Department of Commerce.

Accepting the grant Wednesday were town council president Jerry Kreger and town council member Ron Hall. Bob Murphy, R. P. Murphy and Associates, the grant writer was also in attendance.

The town will use the grant to construct a senior citizens center. The center will be located on a "brownfield" site the town has acquired and cleaned. Located in the downtown business district, the site will undergo a major renovation, including the demolition of an existing building, removal of underground tanks and environmental remediation. The center will provide a nutrition site as well as recreational, educational and social service opportunities.

The grant award is the result of years of planning by the town to provide a site for senior citizens.

On May 24, clean-up of the site at First and Market streets began.

"The town of Pierceton is making a commitment to improve the quality of life of its residents," said Kernan. "The CFF program helps make these projects possible and that means better, healthier communities throughout Indiana."

CFF is a federally funded grant program administered by IDOC. The funds are available to small cities, towns and counties for construction projects designed to benefit low-to-moderate income individuals or to eliminate blight. The grants are awarded twice a year through competitive funding rounds to assist communities in long-term development projects.

Pierceton is one of 38 communities receiving grants in the first round of funding for 1999. More than $15 million will be awarded statewide. [[In-content Ad]]