Columbus City Utilities recently worked with the Administrative Resources association on a federal grant application to help fund its estimated $14-$15 million Westside Interceptor project.
Utilities executive director Scott Dompke has described the project as a “large diameter…42-inch sewer line in between State Road 11 and I-65 from State Road 46 South.” He also said that the work would add jobs in the city of Columbus.
At their Sept. 24 meeting, the utilities board approved a professional services agreement with ARa for help preparing at least one application for an Economic Development Administration grant. Dompke said that the application was submitted on Oct. 16.
Dompke said the utilities department is eligible to apply for an EDA grant that uses funds from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act.
“Their decisions need to be made before the end of this calendar year,” he said.
On Oct. 15, city council approved a resolution for the utilities department to pursue and apply for the grant, as well as “commitment of sewage works funding” for the project.
“This resolution is necessary to show commitment for a local match for a $3-6 million federal CARES and Economic Development Administration grant that would go toward an approximately $15 million Westside Sewer Interceptor project,” Dompke said. He told the utilities board that the grant is an 80-20 federal to local match.
Dompke said that the project is ideal for the grant application because it is “economic development-driven.”
“Job creation, job retention, economic resiliency all fit into that,” Dompke said. “And the Economic Development Administration requires what they call a ‘comprehensive economic development strategy’ associated with their grants. Columbus and Bartholomew County have most of what would be that ‘comprehensive economic development strategy,” so we thought we owed it to our rates and our community to at least try.”
The interceptor is one of the projects that would receive funding from a potential sewer rate increase, which the department is looking to enact in 2021.
Dompke said that in addition to their CARES funds, EDA also offers annual grant for public works projects that is a 50-50 match. He said that a public works grant might provide $1 million for the project, and the department might apply for it in 2021 after hearing about the results of the larger EDA grant.
He added that the department doesn’t receive the larger grant, they would have to “re-evaluate” whether or not to apply for the smaller one.
“If we don’t get the $4 million, are we really willing to chase the $1 million for a $15 million project?” Dompke said.
In addition to the department’s agreement with ARa, he said that they would also receive application assistance from their public outreach consultant Robin Winston under his existing contract with no extra charges.
