SHIRLEY — The town of Shirley has been awarded a $550,000 Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs grant, which will be used toward a $2 million project to repair the town’s sewer system.
The money is needed to make major repairs to the pipes and drains serving 366 customers, including the town of Wilkinson, and to nearly double the capacity of wastewater treatment lagoons serving the town of about 800 residents.
Town officials have also applied for a $1.5 million loan to fund the rest of the project, which will repair about 10,000 feet of sewer pipe.
Indiana Rep. Bob Cherry said more than $15 million in federal grant funding was awarded to 31 rural communities through the OCRA block grant program.
An additional round of block grants is available, with proposals due Dec. 1 and final applications due Feb. 9 of next year.
