The North Judson Town Council has officially chosen a site for a proposed community center. Last week, the council decided to stick with project organizers’ original plan to build the facility behind the town’s fire station.
Efforts to obtain grant funding for the facility from the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs were delayed last month, while council members reconsidered the location. The land’s owner originally offered to donate it, but later asked the town to pay $25,000 for the rest of the property. That led the town council to consider building the proposed community center on land the town already owns, instead.
While this meant the project missed one grant application deadline, there was also danger that the application would be delayed even further if a location wasn’t finalized quickly. North Judson Clerk-Treasurer Alicia Collins says the selection of a site means work on the project has once again started to move ahead. Fund-raising efforts are once again taking place, and organizers are making another push for residents who’ve gotten income surveys to complete them, to determine the project’s eligibility for grant funding.
A letter of intent for the grant is due August 19, with the grant application itself due October 14. Collins says the $25,000 cost of the additional land will be split between the Town of North Judson and Wayne Township. That purchase will also serve as the local share of the matching grant.
