Putnam County To Apply For Waterline Extension Grant

Putnam County will apply for a $630,000 grant to extend waterlines to residents without access to public water.

The county applied for the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) last year, with plans to extend waterlines to Shaw Branch, McBroom Branch, and Green Mountain Road. County Mayor Randy Porter said the state denied the grant application because it did not target enough residents.

“They put a new requirement down that you have to have at least 30 people that want the water,” Porter said. “We think we’ve got a better chance with this one than we had last year, so we’re still trying to work on the water situation.”

Porter said many of those residents don’t have access to public water.

“We’re still trying to get those folks that do not have access to public water…about 725 in the county,” Porter said. “We got denied on the last CDBG grant, but were moved down a little further West around the Ensor Hollow Road to try and get more participants inside the grant.”

The grant proposal states that Putnam County would agree to pay 20-percent of the total price for the project.

The Putnam County Commission voted to apply for the grant during Monday’s meeting.