The Lake County Council approved a resolution last week to allocate $5 million of American Rescue Plan Act funds to the City of Crown Point for wastewater projects.
Crown Point Mayor David Uran worked with Councilman Christian Jorgensen, R-St. John, and Commissioner Jerry Tippy, R-Schererville, on potential funding assistance from the county’s ARPA funds for the $99 million project that would bring a sewer treatment facility to the area currently served by septic and well water.
Uran is seeking $5 million from the county that will be used to secure $5 million state ARPA funding through a State Water Infrastructure Fund grant from the Indiana Finance Authority. Crown Point will also use $5 million of its own ARPA funds to secure an additional $5 million from the IFA.
The city will use a combination of other methods potentially including additional IFA loans, future developer payments, tap-in fees and rate increases to existing customers as part of the funding mechanism to pay for the rest of the project.
“We’re very hopeful we can bring some additional dollars back to match your dollars, dollar for dollar,” Uran told the council March 8.
Lake County received about $94 million in funds through the ARPA, and in October the Lake County Board of Commissioners heard proposals for sewer projects that would “nearly completely” use up the ARPA funds.
The commissioners identified two sewer infrastructure improvement projects in unincorporated Calumet Township and Center Township, which have been in the works before the federal funding became available, Board President Michael Repay, D-3rd, previously said.
But, on Monday, Repay said “it’s possible” that ARPA funds will be available for the Crown Point project. Repay said he understands the council’s resolution to be more of an agreement with the City of Crown Point so officials there can secure other funding.
Uran said the new facility would take 1 million gallons of stormwater out of the city’s current treatment facility reducing water backup incidents for existing customers. It would also pave the way for new development, both residential and commercial, in the southeast area of Lake County south of U.S. 231 and east of Interstate 65.
The project also would open the opportunity for the area to be served by Lake Michigan water. Currently the most of the area is in the Kankakee Valley watershed. Anything south of 133rd Avenue does not have access to Lake Michigan water. The new facility would return water to the Lake Michigan watershed through Crown Point, opening up the possibility for the area to be served by Lake Michigan water.
Uran said the council resolution “is a first step of many,” as the city does it’s “due diligence” to complete the project. The ARPA funds would go toward protecting water systems for current residents and businesses, as well as allow unincorporated areas around Crown Point to connect to the second treatment plant.
“We’re going to try to maximize those dollars to go to the residents and that’s what we’re doing,” Uran said. “This would be a generational project.”
Council President Ted Bilski, D-Hobart, said the council approved the resolution to help the city receive matching grants for the project.
The west corridor of Crown Point is expanding, so improving the water sewer system will help the city as it grows and expands, Bilski said.
“The county will receive the money back tenfold with property taxes,” Bilski said. “It truly is going to improve the development of that area.”
Correspondent Carrie Napoleon contributed.
