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New Andrews wastewater treatment plant closer

The construction of a new wastewater treatment plant in Andrews is one step closer to happening.

The town learned on Thursday, Dec. 1, that its application for $600,000 for the project from the Office of Community and Rural Affairs had been approved. The funds derive from the federal Community Development Block Grant Program. OCRA is in charge of distributing those funds to rural communities.

Andrews received word in July that its first application for the grant had been turned down. The town reapplied in October and is one of 25 communities to receive funds.

The town is now waiting to see if it will receive funding from the State Revolving Fund. Andrews applied for $4.2 million from the SRF earlier this year, but learned in July that its application had been denied.

“However, we were told by many people, including our financial consultant, that a lot of projects would, by December, have a concrete cost and therefore, several projects throughout the state would probably be returning money to the SRF and the SRF then will turn around at that time and give those funds out to communities who were denied the money in the summer disbursement,” says Bill Johnson, a member of the Andrews Town Council.

Johnson says he expects the town will learn in the next week or two if it will be receiving SRF funding. While he expressed confidence that it will, Johnson says that he and his fellow councilmembers would meet with the town’s financial consultants in early January to discuss alternate funding sources should that not be the case.

Presently, Andrews is contending with an agreed order from the Indiana Department of Environmental Management requiring the town to make improvements to its current wastewater treatment plant. Johnson believes Andrews’ obtainment of CDBG funds will impact IDEM’s disposition toward the town.

“Now that we have the OCRA grant, why I’m sure they will be wanting us to expediate the process of getting that plant completed,” he says.

If Andrews receives SRF funds, Johnson notes that the town will seek bids for the project shortly thereafter. Construction, he says, could begin early next year.