Press release from the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs:
Lt. Governor Skillman Awards Grant for over $2 Million to Fort Wayne for Dam Reconstruction
(January 13, 2011) – Lt. Governor Becky Skillman announced today that the City of Fort Wayne will receive a grant for $2,000,070 for rehabilitation work to the St. Joseph Dam, from disaster recovery funds from the federal Community Development Block Grant program.
“A community’s infrastructure is a key part of its economic success or failure,” said Lt. Governor Becky Skillman. “Structural improvements to the St. Joseph Dam will prevent future flooding events which are detrimental to the community’s residents and business owners.”
The dam, which is the main water intake structure for the city’s raw water supply, is in need of structural repairs. The grant will fund concrete work to rehabilitate the dam, which was originally constructed in 1932. Completion of the project will prevent heavy rain events from causing flooding, which could result in potential loss of the city’s supply of drinking water and water for adequate fire protection.
The CDBG funds were made available to aid in economic recovery after several natural disasters caused damage in many areas across the state during 2008. Indiana’s CDBG Disaster Recovery program is administered by the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs. OCRA provides technical assistance to community leaders during the 18-month implementation of their storm water improvement projects.
Lt. Governor Skillman oversees the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs. OCRA was created by legislation in 2005, making rural Indiana a major focus for the first time. For additional information on OCRA and its programs visit www.ocra.in.gov.
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