Edinburgh gets $600,000 stormwater grant

<p>Edinburgh is one of 12 Indiana communities to receive a competitive state water infrastructure grant program.</p><p>Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch and the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs on Friday announced Edinburgh would receive $600,000 of the $8 million total to be distributed this cycle from the federally funded Community Development Block Grant program.</p><p>“These grants are vital to Indiana’s economic success as these projects should improve the quality of life in these rural communities,” Crouch said in a statement. “Collaborations between federal, state and local partners as they invest in the state’s water infrastructure is a win for Hoosiers as we work toward a stronger Indiana.”</p><p>Edinburgh was awarded $600,000 for flood drainage improvements in the Prosser neighborhood, near Edinburgh Community High School. The project involves replacing dry wells and installing a new storm sewer system along High School Drive with an outlet that will be treated and feeds into the Big Blue River.</p><p>The project is expected to cost about $991,000, or $1.3 million if the Edinburgh Town Council opts for alternates for curb and gutter replacements and a full resurfacing of the street, according to an engineer estimate.</p><p>The town is required to provide at least 10% of the total cost of the project, but the town council in September pledged to spend as much as $85,000 to complete the project.</p><p>Wade Watson, the town’s building commissioner who took over work on the grant from recently fired town manager JT Doane, said the project has been needed for years. During each heavy rainfall, water would overflow from dry wells and stand in the street, inconveniencing motorists and pedestrians, he said.</p><p>The town has tried solutions, but none have panned out. Now, the plan is a years-long series of drainage fixes that will start with this project, he said.</p><p>“It has been anticipated for a number of years. It is part of our overall stormwater master plan that we’ve been working on for a number of years,” Watson said.</p><p>Additional projects will take place as funding becomes available, as the expenses will be too high to fit into the budget, he said.</p><p>The project is partially engineered. Watson hopes to have the project ready for bid by June so work may start in the fall.</p>