Staff report
WAYNE LAKES — Financial help is on the way to assist Wayne Lakes’ infrastructure improvements.
The Great Lakes Rural Community Assistance Program (RCAP) announced it has awarded $500,000 to the Wayne Lakes community to be put towards its new sanitary sewer collection system. In all, RCAP has helped 11 rural communities throughout Ohio receive $33.1 million in infrastructure improvement grants to improve water, wastewater, and other community infrastructure systems.
The funding is part of a $93 million package going towards Ohio water infrastructure projects through the Ohio Broadband, Utilities, and Infrastructure for Local Development Success (BUILDS) initiative. This is the first round of funding in a larger $250 million state initiative to address infrastructure needs.
Great Lakes RCAP Ohio State Coordinator Sherry Loos said, “We are proud of our staff for helping so many small communities receive the funding they need to have safe drinking water and wastewater sanitation for their residents.”
RCAP staff help small, rural communities of 10,000 residents or fewer develop, fund, and manage water and wastewater projects, as well as provide other services for communities.
“Water, wastewater, and other infrastructure projects are major undertakings for any community — especially small ones,” Loos said. “Our staff can help communities obtain funding from multiple sources, coordinate financial support throughout a long-term project, and provide any help needed to ensure that residents aren’t financially overburdened by taking on necessary infrastructure improvements.”
The Wayne Lakes Sewer Committee and Brice Schmitmeyer, president of Access Engineering, continue to work on the upcoming sanitary sewer project. Members of the public are invited to review and comment on the proposed amendment and Facility Planning Area map during the 30-day comment period through Tuesday, Nov. 23, 2021. Visit https://bit.ly/3nnU59Q to access the Wayne Lakes Draft Sewer Study. Questions or comments may be directed to Matt Lindsay, MVRPC’s Manager of Environmental Planning at [email protected] or 937-531-6548.
For more information on Ohio’s RCAP services, go to www.glcap.org/ohiorcap.
The next Wayne Lakes Council Meeting will be held Dec. 13 at 7 p.m. in Village Office (COVID-19 restrictions apply).
