CLINTON, Ind. (WTWO/WAWV) — With the funds the City of Clinton, Ind. has now received, Mayor Jack Gilfoy said they will be able to provide a better way of life for their residents.
Indiana Lt. Governor Suzanne Crouch and the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs announced last week that 25 rural communities would be receiving funds to improve their communities.
The city of Clinton received $441,387 in federal grant money to help fix the storm drain issue that has flooded streets, residences, a dog park and a church parking lot.
“It’s unfortunate cause it floods up here and then it gets so high and it takes off like 50 to 60 percent of the dog park and I understand people don’t want to bring their dogs,” Clinton’s Wastewater & Stormwater superintendent Scott Karanovich said.
Gilfoy said when heavy rain occurs, the storm drainage in it’s current set up is unable to tackle the problem.
“What we’re going to do is clean this drainage ditch up which goes south of town and goes all the way to Beech St.,” Gilfoy said. “It will be deeper and wider and will help us get rid of the overflow of the water coming off the fields and hills to the west of us.”
Karanovich said he has fielded many calls about the flooding issue.
“Sometimes we get complaints with people driving down the roads cause of the high water and they complain about having to drive around and not having a direct route,” he said.
Gilfoy said without the help of OCRA, projects like this would be out of reach.
Bidding for the project will begin next spring with a projected start time for the summer of 2022.