Auburn, Garrett receive street-repair grants

By Dave Kurtz | KPC Media - The Star

The cities of Auburn and Garrett both are receiving Community Crossings Matching Grants to repair local streets, the state of Indiana announced Tuesday.

Auburn will receive a grant of $630,064, while Garrett is set to receive $51,465.

Garrett Mayor Todd Fiandt said his city will use the money for complete pavement replacement on one block of Peters Street, from 4th Avenue to 5th Avenue.

Auburn will use its grant for three projects this year, said Mayor Norm Yoder. They are:

• widening of the intersection at Auburn Drive and Wayne Street;
• reconstructing Touring Drive from 7th Street to 15th Street; and
• milling and resurfacing North Street from Grandstaff Drive to Indiana Avenue.

“They’re all heavy traffic areas, and they’re all in need of some repair,” Yoder said. With the state grants, he said, “You want to get as much traffic as possible for the dollar spent.”

Auburn received 100 percent of its grant request, and “We’re very thankful,” Yoder said.

The intersection widening will make it easier for large trucks to turn at a busy intersection in south Auburn, Yoder said. Last year, a truck knocked over a support pole for a traffic light at the intersection while attempting a sharp turn.

Yoder said pavement on Touring Drive is starting to crack and chip.

North Street also is deteriorating, he said.

“We want to be proactive and upgrade that before it gets so far we have to reconstruct it,’” Yoder said about North Street.

When the projects, begin this summer or fall, he said, “It’s going to create some inconvenience, because they all are busy streets. I hope the citizens are patient and understanding.”

Other cities in northeast Indiana receiving Community Crossings grants are Albion with $804,750, Angola with $539,851 and Avilla with $656,250. Steuben County will receive $999,903.

The maximum Community Crossings grant is $1 million. In the previous round of grants in November, DeKalb County was awarded $1 million. Also receiving grants in November were Ashley, $249,750; Butler, $197,504; Hamilton $797,792; and Waterloo, $269,106.

Launched in 2016, the Community Crossings Matching Grant Program provides funding to cities, towns, and counties across Indiana to make improvements to local roads and bridges.

Cities and towns with populations lower than 10,000 that receive funds must supply a 25 percent match for project costs. Cities and towns greater than 10,000 population, such as Auburn, must supply a 50-50 match.