Two Perry County villages to get state money for water projects

COLUMBUS — On June 5 state Senator Tim Schaffer (R-Lancaster) announced that the 20th Senate District will receive $5,562,947 in grant awards to help improve water infrastructure. The funding is part of the sixth round of the Ohio BUILDS (Broadband, Utilities, and Infrastructure for Local Development Success) Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Grant Program.

Of this money, close to half will go to the Perry County villages of Crooksville and Junction City.

“Our communities are working hard to update aging infrastructure, and these funds will allow them to get their projects done quickly and efficiently,” Schaffer said in a news release. “Nearly 4,000 residents in the 20th District will see the results of this investment in their quality of life.”

The following communities in the 20th District were awarded funds:

• The Village of Carroll (Fairfield County) will receive a $3,304,146 grant to complete phase 3 of its sanitary sewer project, which will benefit 501 people.

• The Village of Crooksville (Perry County) will receive $870,200 in gap funding to replace the two main lift stations within the village’s sanitary sewer system. The project will benefit 2,534 people.

• The Village of Junction City (Perry County) will receive a $1,388,601 grant to upgrade its aging wastewater treatment plant, benefitting 721 people.

In total, $127.7 million in grant awards will distributed across 59 counties. Funding will provide $84.5 million for 43 new projects and $38.2 million in gap funding for 33 previously funding projects with costs that exceeded initial estimates.

Ohio BUIILDS has provided nearly $620 million in grant dollars to support local water projects in all 88 counties since 2021.