Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch and the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs announced 25 rural Indiana communities will receive more than $12.8 million in federal grant funding to improve water infrastructure and to address blighted properties. 

The State of Indiana 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. 

Funding for OCRA’s CDBG programs originates from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Community Development Block Grant program and is administered for the State of Indiana by OCRA. For more information, visit in.gov/ocra/cdbg. 

The Blight Clearance Program encourages communities with blighted properties to focus on long-term community development and revitalization through improving quality of place, generating jobs and spurring economic revitalization. Eligible projects include the removal of deteriorated or abandoned downtown buildings or vacant/unusable industrial sites. 

• The City of Knox is awarded $137,674 to demolish the former Moose Lodge building located in the downtown district of Knox. The proposed project will demolish the structure and includes the removal of approximately 6,900 square feet of asbestos-containing floor tile and approximately 5,100 square feet of asbestos-containing mastic, which was used as tile adhesive. The completion of the project will improve the downtown’s appearance and make it more attractive to visitors, residents and future developers. 
• Miami County is awarded $333,070 to eliminate a blighted, unsafe structure that is known to have environmental issues with asbestos, a history of vandalism and a loss of structural integrity. Activities include demolition of the building, removal and proper disposal of materials, and remediation of any hazardous materials, which includes most notably asbestos and possibly lead base paint. Upon completion, the site will become local public greenspace. 

The Stormwater Improvement Program strives to reduce flooding, cut stormwater treatment and energy costs, protect rivers, lakes and vital landscape, and generate jobs to spur economic revitalization. Types of activities that are eligible for this grant funding include stormwater improvements, as well as demolition and/or clearance.

• The Town of Walton is awarded $509,155 to improve stormwater flow throughout the community by reducing field run-off through the installation of new 12”, 15” and 18” storm sewer pipes. The project will eliminate standing water through the construction of a new headwall and by-pass connection and includes the construction of 11 new manholes to reduce inflow and infiltration, and overflow conditions.