The Knox County Board of Commissioners heard during its June 9 meeting highlights of two Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) projects for stormwater and ADA improvements from its consultant.
According to the video recording, Jillian Flowers of CDC of Ohio told the board that she was appearing to talk about the next day's deadline for the CDBG allocation and neighborhood revitalization program. She said Knox County receives $156,000 on a biannual basis. The Village of Danville stormwater improvements budgeted at $67,800 and the Berlin Township ADA improvements at $57,000 are within the budget.
Flowers said in the video recording that the funds for Berlin Township will be used to remove the front porch and existing concrete block foundation and floor topper staircase to be replaced with matching materials. The existing side ramp will be replaced with a 40-inch wide, 70-foot long ramp with treated wood and composite decking and railing. Berlin Township Trustee Walt Farlee told the board that to meet ADA (Americans With Disabilities Act) requirements, the ramp has to have one foot of length for every inch of elevation. He said that's why the ramp must be 70 feet long and is expensive. Farlee said the front porch deteriorated so badly that someone put boards on top of the concrete, and now they are bad. Flowers said the project qualified for funds because of the ADA improvements.
According to the video recording, Flowers said the funds for the Village of Danville will be used to install 270 linear feet of 12-inch storm pipe and three catch basins on South Market Street. The initial thought was to target some sidewalks, but cost estimates were high. This project requires addressing stormwater issues before putting in a sidewalk as it is an open ditch, which will be handled with allocation funds. Sidewalks will be addressed as part of the neighborhood grant.
Flowers also said they took sidewalks out of scope so if Danville did not get additional grant funding, they would still receive something from this round. The hope is that funds will be awarded for both stormwater mitigation and sidewalk construction so they can proceed together.
A restroom facility for Memorial Park also will be included in CDBG funding, Flowers said in the video recording. The public would like a restroom there and village officials see it as a way to keep people in Danville when they visit. Danville Mayor Joseph Mazzari III said more than 35 travelers on bike have stayed overnight at primitive camp facilities recently, describing current conditions as a "garden hose" situation with only a port-a-pod available. A more stable facility would be welcomed by visitors who want to change clothes or need better amenities. Flowers said plans call for a precast restroom building designed to resist vandalism; other costs include electrical service plus water and sewer hookups already present at that location.
