Reelsville Water Authority mailing out income surveys as part of grant application

Select customers of Reelsville Water Authority will soon have the chance to assist the agency in its bid to qualify for federal grant money.

The Reelsville Water Authority is attempting to qualify for a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and is currently seeking grant funding for a Water Improvements Project.

The CDBG Program is a federally-funded grant program intended to benefit a majority of low-to-moderate income persons with various community development public assistance projects such as improvements to wastewater, water, roads, bridges and debris removal.

To receive the federally funded grant dollars, a special income survey must be completed.

Any customer of the water authority who receives an income survey in the mail from the West Central Indiana Economic Development District has been randomly selected to participate in this important process.

It is extremely vital that the survey be completed fully and returned in the self-addressed stamped envelope as soon as possible.

The first surveys will be mailed on Friday, Feb. 8, and their timely completion and return will assist the agencies in meeting proposal and application deadlines in the coming months.

Contact Kristy Jerrell, the grant administrator, at 812-238-1561 with any questions regarding the improvements project or the income survey.

Residents' cooperation concerning this matter is greatly appreciated, Jerrell said.

Putnam County Commissioners will be the lead applicant on the project and the Reelsville Water Authority will be the sub-recipient.

The county and Reelsville Water Authority have partnered to apply for this grant three times in the past. They are hopeful they will receive grant funding in the fourth round.

Since the last grant application, the Reelsville Water Authority has received grant dollars from the Putnam County Community Foundation, in October 2012, in the amount of $6,974.

The grant money should leverage extra points on the application and increase the chances of award and make the application more competitive.