Ortonville- The village council will apply for a grant for sewers.
During their Nov. 25 meeting, the council approved going forward with an application for a grant from the Department of Environmental Quality’s Stormwater, Asset Management, and Wastewater (SAW) Program.
Leanne Panduren of Rowe Services answered questions from the village about the grant. The village has consulted with the engineering firm in the past regarding issues including a wastewater treatment system in the village.
‘The first time you can apply for this is Monday (Dec. 2),? said Panduren. ‘It is important to get in. They (the DEQ) expects to exceed $97 million in grant applications? Should you be funded, you have to decide whether to go forward with the project.?
According to the Michigan.gov website, the SAW grants are for asset management plan development, stormwater plan development, sewage collection and treatment plan development, and state-funded loans to construct projects identified in the asset management plans.
Each community can apply for up to $2 million in grant funds. The village council is anticipating applying for a grant of about $900,000. Grants of up to $1 million have a 10-percent local match, which is not eligible for loan assistance.
Panduren noted that if the village is approved for the grant, there will be a 3-year window in which the village must complete design for the wastewater treatment system and be under contract and moving forward with construction.
If the village is not approved for the first round of grants, they can apply again next year, as well as in 2015, but grant applications then will be considered under a first come, first served basis. During this first round of applications, communities receive grants based on scores.
The village expects to receive notification by April 1 if they have been accepted for the grant.