At the Fayette County Commissioners’ meeting on Monday, Fayette County Building Official Jay Myers discussed plans for the 2019/2020 Community Development Block Grant Small Cities program (CDBG).

The CDBG is a grant allocated to various counties. Fayette County can receive a minimum of $150,000. The grant can be received once every two years.

Fayette County Commissioner Dan Dean explained, “We used to get twice as much money—we being the county and the city.” Since it’s half as much money, there is a greater limitation to what can be done with the grant.

The last CDBG benefited the city of Washington Court House. This year, the plan is to use the grant funding in three different villages—Jeffersonville, Milledgeville and Octa.

The proposal for how the funds should be allocated within Fayette is based upon both officials’ and citizens’ input—including input gained from a public meeting—a meeting which Myers explained had been advertised throughout the county. The proposal is as follows.

Of the grant money, $70,000 will go to Jeffersonville for a water main replacement. Jeffersonville will be adding in approximately $10,800 in order for that project to be completed, according to Myers. The main has blown approximately six times in the last year-and-a-half.

Milledgeville will be receiving $22,000 in order to build a shelter house, a fence and picnic tables in its park. The shelter is proposed to be 30-by-30 feet with concrete flooring. The fence, according to Myers, is planned to go along the road beside the park to keep kids and balls from entering the roadway.

The Village of Octa will be receiving $51,300 in order to repave four different alleys.

Myers explained the county could have pulled out $15,000 for administration fees but are only taking out $6,700 so more money can go toward the projects.

There will be a fair housing outreach program implemented during the grant period.

The grant application date is June 14. It will be issued in September. Projects should be completed by the end of next year.

Reach Jennifer Woods at 740-313-0355.