The Town of Hennessey recently received notice that it received a $45,000 grant to help upgrade four-inch water lines to six-inch lines between two water wells that run into the town’s water plant.

Town Administrator Tiffany Tillman gave the Utilities Authority board the good news at its Dec. 9 meeting. The project will cost $82,103.40.

The lines are located a mile east and north of the town and will increase the volume of water needed, especially during summer months, Public Works Director Curtis Turner told the board at an earlier meeting.

The federal REAP (Rural Energy for America Program) grant comes through the state Department of Commerce and is then administered through NODA (Northern Oklahoma Development Authority) in Enid.

Tillman said Michael Taylor with Cowan Group Engineering helped with that grant and is working on a five-year capital improvement plan to deal with low/flood areas in town.

All board members were present for the December meeting: Mayor Bert Gritz, Vice Mayor Clif Vogt, Wes Hardin, Keith Meek and Richard Simunek. (Ed. note: town board members also make up the utilities board.)

Simunek, who came on the board in the spring, has urged the town to go after more grants, especially through NODA.

A dealing with NODA several years ago had left a bad taste in the board’s mouth, Turner told him during a June meeting.

Remote-read water meters

An agenda item to “complete the new (water) meter installation(s)” was struck by the mayor for lack of money when he was told it would take $146,305 to install the remaining 300 meters (out of the town’s total of 1,200 meters).

The town has been installing remote-read water meters as was cost-effective for the past few years in an effort to upgrade the system and do away with manually-read meters.

$416,452 in REAP grants

After last week’s meeting, Simunek sent out an email that states Hennessey received a total of $416,452 in REAP grants from Fiscal Year 1998 to 2010, an annual average of $32,034.

“Then, inexplicably, Hennessey stopped annually submitting grants,” he wrote. “Only two grants were submitted after FY 2010 which were (both) rejected.

“REAP is especially targeting infrastructure,” Simunek wrote in his email urging the board to continue going for grants.

He listed these past NODA grants to Hennessey:

• 1998, Clean, video sewer lines, manholes, $31,569;

• 1999, Backhoe, $24,000;

• 2000, Sewer line repair, $29,725;

• 2001, Sewer system upgrade, $30,000;

• 2002, Sewer line replacement, $45,000;

• 2003, Sewer improvements, $26,375;

• 2004, Water system upgrade, $18,261;

• 2005, Fire truck (CDBG), $45,000;

• 2006, Stormwater drainage improvement, $48,122;

• 2007, Purchase Town Hall building, $40,000;

• 2008, Library complex accessibility (Handicap entrance), $45,000;

• 2009, Engineering services, $25,000;

• 2010, Fire hydrant replacement, $30,000.

Simunek also suggested the board explore the state Department of Transportation Enhancement Program.

It provides grants for historic preservation, control and removal of outdoor advertising, rehabilitation and operation of historic transportation buildings, and landscaping and scenic beautifi cation.