By BOB SHRALUKA
WZBD.com
The City of Decatur, a major benefactor of Indiana’s Community Crossing grant program, will be making another grant application this summer. If it’s again successful, the city may use the funds for more than just street resurfacing.
Operations Manager Jeremy Gilbert told the city’s board of works and safety at its latest meeting that the state has made some changes in the program.
The city would be eligible for a grant of $1.5 million as opposed to $1 million in the past, he pointed out. Plus, “you would get a little more leeway,” meaning the funds could be used in some ways other than street paving, such as sidewalks.
The latest application process opened January 2, and Decatur did not apply. But it will when the next phase opens, likely in June or July.
“We need to discuss on what you want to apply for in June or July,” Gilbert told the board. Applications must contain an outline of how the grant would be used.
“We want to get some better sidewalks,” Mayor Dan Rickord said, adding that he also would like to see some trail additions in the city.
There are no funds in Decatur’s 2024 budget for matching a grant. But if Decatur is successful in another bid, the work wouldn’t be done until 2025, so funding for a matching grant could be placed in that budget.
The board approved moving forward on seeking a grant when applications open next summer.
It is believed that the CC grant awarded Decatur last year for street paving this year is the sixth received here in the last seven or eight years. Gilbert estimated that each grant was worth between approximately $600,000 to $800,000.
At the same meeting in which another grant bid was discussed, Brooks Construction was awarded the contract for street resurfacing here this year. Its bid of $886,747.00 was the lowest of three bids recently received.
That keeps the bid under the $1,013,135.12 available, with $810,508.10 coming from the latest CC grant and $253,300 from the city’s match.