The Athens County Commissioners are working with a local organization to receive state funding that would be used to make improvements to the water system in Glouster.
The Hocking-Athens-Perry Community Action Agency and the commissioners will submit a Community Development Block Grant distress application to receive about $300,000 in state funding.
The funds would be used to purchase a new water tank and to pay for the replacement of water lines in the downtown Glouster area, said Kara Edmonds, development coordinator for the community action group.
The new tank would replace an aging tank, and the new piping would increase the capacity of the water lines. The improvements would increase the supply of water to areas of the village that presently do not receive an adequate supply.
The application for the grant will be submitted on Feb. 6th to the state, and Glouster officials will find out in early April if they received the grant.
With only seven to 10 grants awarded statewide each year, Edmonds said the application process is competitive, yet he feels confident the grant will be awarded because Glouster has received other grants in the past.
The improvements are expected to benefit all of the 1,972
Glouster residents (www.athenschamber.com), said Helen Walker, president of the board of public affairs in Glouster. At a public meeting Jan. 8th, Glouster officials and residents met to discuss proposed improvements and to hear others' views on community improvements.
Everybody (at the meeting) was 100 percent for the new tank and improvements to the water lines
Walker said.
If the grant is awarded, construction is expected to start in 2005. The project would take about 24 months. Any remaining funds would then be used to make repairs on the local firehouse and to pay for the upkeep of the parks in the area. 17
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