HOPE — It will be six to seven months before the Town of Hope finds out whether it will receive enough money to address one of its most expensive and pressing problems.
Nevertheless, the northeast Bartholomew County community is about to take steps that, if all goes well, could lead to construction of the Washington Street storm drainage project as early as next spring, town manager J.T. Doane said.
The plan calls for upgrading the deteriorating underground infrastructure for three blocks, from State Road 9 east to the Community Center of Hope, utility superintendent David Clouse said.
One month after the Hope Town Council agreed to seek a grant for the $608,000 project through the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs (OCRA) for the Washington Street project, upcoming steps were laid out for council members last week by town financial consultant Trena Carter.
Within the next few weeks, engineering firms will be identified and contacted to serve as potential contractors for the project, Carter said.
During next month’s meeting, members will be asked to create a selection committee that will given a specific criteria to determine the qualifications of each firm interested in doing the design work, she said.
While Carter said council members may have personal preferences, the consultant emphasized her steps will be required if and when federal dollars are awarded.
In a community that has experienced significant street improvements in recent years, some town leaders feel the worn-out asphalt of Washington Street stands out like a sore thumb on the south side of the Hope Town Square.
In 2016, the community replaced 14,000 square feet of water lines and repaved several streets as part of a $3 million water project. Late last year, more than $211,000 worth of matching grants were approved that is allowing about 13 separate paving projects this year.
In contrast, deficiencies along Washington Street are especially noticeable because it’s one of Hope’s busiest streets, council members said in earlier meetings.
But when Clouse explained that it makes no sense to fix up a street that will have to be torn up for a storm drainage upgrade, the council agreed.
The final application will be sent to OCRA early this fall, with recipients notified by mid-January.
The discovery of sunken asphalt May 14 in a Washington Street parking space should significantly improve the odds of getting a grant because the incident illustrates how badly new infrastructure is need, Clouse said.
Since the town had a plan in place to fix the sunken asphalt problem quickly, that may also improve the chances OCRA will award the money, Doane said.
If the grant is approved, the town will still have to provide 10 percent in matching funds for the Washington Street project, Clouse said.
The town is seeking a grant of $547,200 in exchange for contributing $60,800 of its own funds.
