Rangely gets $595K in grants

RANGELY — In these tough economic times, the town of Rangely received some good news.
The Colorado Department of Local Affairs awarded energy impact funding grants to the town for requests it submitted in December.
The biggest grant was in the amount of $495,000 and will be used for the replacement of about 2,600 feet of water line, aeration improvements at the wastewater plant, and dredging and the addition of a cover for the polishing pond at the treatment plant.
The second grant — in the amount of $100,000 — is for improvement of roads and drainage projects.
“Considering how competitive the process for funding was during this latest round, the town is pleased to see a full award on the first request and a partial award on the second request,” said Town Manager Peter Brixius. “During this particular grant cycle, DOLA was able to make available $23 million for $54 million in total requests. In recent grant cycles, most grant requests have been fully funded with no shortfall in energy impact funding.”
The town has started the process of preparing bid sheets, once the grant contracts are formalized, and hopes to make awards in the near future, Brixius added.
In the current energy impact grant cycle, the town submitted an energy conservation grant for insulation improvements to the roof at town hall, as well as high-efficiency boilers and more efficient pumping for the fresh-water intake system at the treatment plant.
“This grant request has not yet made it past the first hurdle and should it be accepted, hearings and decisions will not occur until August,” Brixius said.