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Local governments working on deadlines, project applications for federal funding |
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Monday, March 02 2009 |
By Chris Meyers
Staff writer
There are still a lot of unanswered questions on the minds of local government officials following a seminar Friday in Fort Wayne geared to help local governments make sure they’re on the right path for federal recovery funding.
“There are still a lot of questions, but it was informational as far as what funds are available for certain projects,” Frank Kessler, president of the Churubusco Town Council, said today of the meeting.
He and representatives from local towns, Columbia City and county government were together Friday at the event as a way to see how one entity could help the other as the federal funds become available.
“Most of the projects we are involved in are infrastructure projects,” Jim Fleck, mayor of Columbia City, said today.
Sprawled on the table in front of him were dozens of documents related to local budgets, state budgets and material about the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.
Aside from infrastructure projects, street widening, the proposed community center, and changes to the entrance to Morsches Park and Little Turtle Woods.
Thursday is one important deadline for the city, with that day being the last to put a project on the list for federal funding.
In another two weeks, another deadline will loom, this one for a proposed expansion of the city’s wastewater disposal system.
Going through the steps to get such a large and pressing project ready to go is no short order, but the process is in high-gear to make sure it meets federal requirements.
“It’s a long process that they’re condensing down,” Fleck said.
So much extra work is needed just to filter through the requirements for federal funding that Columbia City, like many small cities and towns, had to hire on a person to work on grant and funding applications for projects.
“Her task is basically to shepherd this and coordinate those projects,” Fleck said of Lori Shipman, who has worked with grant applications in the past and worked in the office of Stephen Goldsmith, a former two-term mayor of Indianapolis.
The list of projects from Columbia City is estimated at about $50 million worth of construction.
Churubusco is also working to make sure it meets all the deadlines for funding and make sure all applications go to the proper agency.
Many projects may still receive the federal funding through the traditional state agency, such as Indiana Department of Transportation, Office of Rural and Community Development, the governor’s office and Region III-A.
“There’s a lot of money out there, but there’s also a lot of projects,” Kessler said.
The funding will likely come in the form of grants that don’t have to be paid back, or loans with little to no interest.
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, March 03 2009 )
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