Corunna council hears presentation on Community Crossings grant to repair and preserve town roads

The Corunna Town Council on an ordinary meeting day heard a detailed presentation from Dan Avery, who said he prepared an asset-management plan for the town, and Ben Parker of the county highway department about the state Community Crossings grant and how Corunna could apply.

"I'm Dan Avery with the northeastern Indian Regional fory Council," Avery told the council and said his agency performed a pavement survey and submitted an asset-management plan to LTAP at Purdue so Corunna would be eligible for grant calls. Ben Parker, introduced as the county highway head, described the Community Crossings program as state-funded through the gas tax and outlined common uses for the money, including overlays, chip seals, ADA curb corners and preservation treatments.

Why it matters: the program can stretch small-town budgets for road preservation. Presenters said smaller communities typically use the grants for $100,000–$150,000 preservation projects and that the program now allows awards up to $1.5 million with a 75/25 local match for small towns.

Parker and Avery explained practical steps: confirm the asset-management plan and LTAP approval, prepare an ADA transition plan and Title VI documentation, designate a named applicant contact, submit a project corridor with a GIS map, and provide a signed council commitment guaranteeing the local match. Parker said the state runs two calls most years (January and July) and that the application window in July opens July 1 and typically closes around July 30.

They cautioned the council that complex projects with engineered elements (curbs, full-depth mill and overlay, drainage fixes) would require local engineering costs, while simpler preservation projects often can be supported with contractor estimates. "If there's any engineering done to go for with a project that would be on you guys," Avery said; he and Parker offered to help assemble estimates and application materials.

Council members asked about scoring and minimum project sizes. Presenters said scoring uses a pavement-condition rating tied to the scope of work; applications work best when grouped to form a meaningful corridor (often a combined three-quarters of a mile or similar) and when local cost estimates are supplied in the application. They noted that the State Board of Accounts and Indiana code set procurement and documentation rules; awarded funds require contract documents and long-term record keeping.

The council did not take action at the meeting but agreed to pursue cost estimates and to consider applying in the July call now that the asset-management plan is in place.