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Updated 02/22/2025 9:43 a.m.

The Office of Lieutenant Governor Micah Beckwith and the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs today announced 15 rural communities will receive more than $9.4 million in federal grant funding to expand community facilities, improve water infrastructure and eliminate blight.

“Hoosiers deserve a safe and vibrant place to live, work, and thrive,” Lieutenant Governor Beckwith said. “Blighted properties lead to lower property values, increased crime rates, and poor economic development, but these grants can help these communities turn the corner. They will improve our neighborhoods, making them a more attractive place for both families and businesses.”

OCRA distributes Community Development Block Grant funds to rural communities, which assist units of local government with various community projects such as infrastructure improvement, downtown revitalization, public facilities and economic development.

"Congratulations to these 15 communities for earning funds for much needed local improvements," said OCRA Executive Director Fred Glynn. "Each project will improve the quality of life for their residents and I applaud these leaders for taking action."

One of the programs receiving funds is the Wastewater/Drinking Water Program, which is awarding the town of Hope $750,000 as part of the more than $6 million awarded to the program.

The goals of the Wastewater/Drinking Water Program are to protect resident and environmental health, reduce utility rates for low-to-moderate income communities and improve rural infrastructure to enable long-term economic growth.

According to Town Manager Jason Eckart, the council has been aware of the community’s sewer issues but all options, up to this point, would only increase sewer rates. However, with this grant the town has the ability to remedy the problems, Eckart says.

“The council was adamant about not raising sewer rates again since they were raised in June 2023,” Eckart says. “It took some brainstorming and effort to figure out a way to make this happen. We assembled a team of people along with the town council to really sit down and sharpen our pencils.”

Obtaining this grant was truly a group effort made possible by Tony Akles (Strand Associates), David Clouse, Diane Burton, Victoria Bechert(SIRPC), Jason Eckart and others who had roles in the process.

The Town of Hope will utilize the funding for upgrades to its wastewater treatment plant. The project includes installing a new force main at the Goshen Meadows Lift Station and addressing capacity issues at the Moravian Lift Station.

“Essentially this project will separate two parts of town and relieve a tremendous load on the Moravian pump station,” Eckart says. “When this project is completed, we will have two pipes going to our treatment facility instead of one.”

Funding for OCRA’s CDBG programs originates from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Community Development Block Grant program and is administered for the State of Indiana by OCRA. For more information, visit  in.gov/ocra/cdbg.