There
are few things in life that are free. Fortunately though, several
sources of funding exist which offer grants, or free money,
to some municipal and rural water projects including water,
wastewater, storm sewers, streets, parks, lighting, economic
development, etc. These grants can be used in the planning,
design, and/or construction phases of the project. The focus
of this article is on water and wastewater projects that can
obtain grant funding through one of these sources - the Illinois
Department of Commerce and Community Affairs (DCCA) Community
Development Assistance Program (CDAP). The CDAP grant program
is very competitive, with grant requests well in excess of the
total funds available each year. Each applicant is allowed to
submit only one application per year, so it is imperative to
begin the process early allowing enough time to put together
an application that convinces DCCA that your project deserves
this money more than the next applicant. Grants are available
for water and wastewater projects through the CDAP program in
three major categories - planning, design engineering, and construction
- each with their own annual application deadline, funding level,
and grant ceiling. The process of putting together the grant
applications can be long and tedious, but there are certain
basic items that are common to each application, as discussed
below.
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Basic Eligibility Criteria - CDAP grants may only be submitted
by units of local government ( i.e., cities, villages, townships
and counties) having a population of 50,000 or less, which
are not located in an urban county that receives "entitlement"
funds. A water or sewer district must use a government entity
to apply for the grant on its behalf. The CDAP grant program
also requires that at least 51% of the households in the project
area qualify as low-to-moderate (LMI) households. A higher
LMI percentage improves the chances that you will receive
the grant. Census data may be used to obtain
LMI information if you are applying for a community-wide project.
However, if the project is in a rural area or serves only
a portion of the community, then a confidential door-to-door
income survey must be performed in the specific area. If you
cannot demonstrate at least 51% LMI, then you cannot proceed
further with the CDAP application process.
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In addition to the above-mentioned items, your grant needs
to prove that your project helps to alleviate a health and
safety issue. Examples of health and safety documentation
to be included in the grant application are: private water
test results of bad wells and petitions of residents who haul
water for a new rural water main expansion project; low pressure
readings or documentation of boil orders and water main breaks
for a water main replacement project; or pictures of sewage
in the road ditch or on top of the ground due to septic system
failure in the project area for a sanitary sewer main extension
project. This documentation cannot always be gathered in a
short time so it is important that you start now if you are
considering applying for a grant, or at least keep health
and safety documentation on file for future grant opportunities.
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Readiness is another factor that is
considered by DCCA in reviewing the application. If you get
this grant, then is it going to be possible to complete the
project in the time allotted by the funding agency? If you need
to purchase some property, acquire some easements, negotiate
an agreement, etc., then you will need to demonstrate progress
in these areas.
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Project Summary, Maps, Cost Estimates - Once the
initial hurdles described above are cleared, your application
is judged competitively based on a number of varying factors.
Generally, it is necessary to describe your complete project
in a written summary, which identifies the problem or existing
conditions, the need for an upgrade or improvement, and a plan
and time frame for implementing, the proposed project. Location
maps of the area to be improved or schematics/details of the
proposed improvements are typically required in support of the
application as well. These can range from basic geographical
maps to very detailed CAD drawings. CDAP grants also require
detailed spreadsheets of the entire cost of the project and
a summary of how the grant money is going to be used toward
the project, as well as impacts to existing user rates.
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Public Hearings, Resolutions, Support Letters,
Documentation - In addition to the above-mentioned items, a
public newspaper notice and a public hearing is required to
inform residents of the nature of the grant, and ask for any
comments concerning the grant. The notice and minutes of the
meeting are placed in the application. The grant applicant also
needs to provide various formal grant resolutions in the application.
Letters of support from various government units, local and
state health departments, environmental agencies, regional planning
commissions, and other governmental agencies are typically required
or recommended. The various documentation of income data, health
and safety issues, and summaries of past efforts of improvements
is also a standard among the various CDAP grant applications.
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basics that comprise a CDAP grant application. While it may
seem overwhelming at first, it is important to keep in mind
that there are many experienced grant writers and engineers
that can assist you, as well as numerous grant writing workshops
that you can attend. In the end, the process is a joint effort
between the owner, grant writer, attorney, and engineer. The
fees for outside consultants and grant administrators are usually
included and covered by the grant funds. We often highlight
various grant programs and their requirements in our "Funding
Facts" column each month. If you have any questions about
the CDAP or other programs available, grant deadlines, or writing
a winning grant proposal, please call Gary Phillips in our Centralia
office, or visit our web site at www.haengr.com.
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