Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch and the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs (OCRA) announced 21 rural Indiana communities will receive more than $12.9 million in federal grant funding to create and expand community facilities and improve water infrastructure.

“Quality of life is important for rural areas in Indiana, and these grants will help several Indiana communities make needed improvements and upgrades,” said Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch, who is also Indiana’s Secretary of Agriculture and Rural Development. “As communities across the country age, funding infrastructure projects is becoming more and more important, especially water and wastewater projects. I am pleased to see many Indiana communities focusing their efforts in these areas.”

The State of Indiana distributes Community Development Block Grant funds to rural communities, which assists units of local government with various community projects such as infrastructure improvement, downtown revitalization, public facilities and economic development.

“Community Development Block Grant funding can be transformational in improving the quality of life in rural towns and cities,” said OCRA Executive Director Denny Spinner. “Over 20 Hoosier communities will now have nearly $13 million in financial support to carry out projects for public facilities, blight clearance and water infrastructure.”

The Public Facilities Program creates and expands community facilities that enhance the lives of residents in numerous ways. Eligible projects include fire stations, community facilities, libraries, museums, community centers and performance spaces that open doors to knowledge and ideas, culture and enjoyment.

Projects receiving Public Facilities Program grant funding include:

The Blight Clearance Program strives to encourage Indiana 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 to receive grant funding through BCP are deteriorated or abandoned downtown buildings or vacant and unusable industrial sites.

Projects receiving Blight Clearance Program grant funding include:

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

Projects receiving Stormwater Improvement Program grant funding include:

The goals of the Wastewater/Drinking Water Program are to protect the health and environment, reduce utility rates for low-to-moderate income communities and improve rural infrastructure to enable long-term economic growth. Eligible Wastewater/Drinking Water Program projects include many aspects of wastewater improvements and drinking water system improvements.

Projects receiving Wastewater/Drinking Water Program grant funding include:

Funding for the OCRA 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.

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