Hennessey’s Board of Trustees learned it was approved this month for a matching $300,000 Community Block Development Grant (CBDG) to finish the second phase of a drainage project. It’s to help flooding on Third, Fourth and Fifth streets west of Mitchell Road.

“As soon as environmental reports are in, we’ll be able to go out for bids,” Town Administrator Tiffany Tillman told the board at its May 12 meeting.

This is the second and final drainage project and there is $124,000 left from the first project to help with costs with phase two, Tillman said.

The grant was reviewed and approved by the state Department of Commerce/ Community Development for the Community Revitalization Award.

The first phase was also completed with a matching CBDG grant for repairs near the Cristo Rey Church and all streets on Walnut to First Street.

Northern Oklahoma Development Authority (NODA) served as the contractor on both grants. The board approved paying them $26,400 for their services on this second grant at this month’s meeting.

Grant to assess wastewater issues

The other grant is $220,000 (no matching funds) from the state Water Resources Board for the planning, design and engineering and assessment of the town’s wastewater collection.

Engineer Michael Taylor of Cowan Group prepared information for that grant, said Tillman.

Once the town gets all of the mapping, reviewing, testing and gets together a report, Tillman said they’ll know where the problem areas are.

Then the engineer will make a report for the repair and replacement dealing with the town’s inflow and infiltration issues.

Taylor’s report with the grant showed the system has about 78,000 linear feet of sewer collection lines,186 manholes, two lift stations and a lagoon wastewater treatment plant.

The project will include design of up to 30,000 linear feet of sewer line replacement and 100 manhole rehabilitations or replacements, the initial report shows.

Osborn Addition

Another problem in the Osborn addition has slowed work down, Tillman told the board.

“ONG lines have to be 10 feet away from other lines,” she said the town was told.

The town has been working to install water lines in that area after local builder Jay Ladwig started building homes there and found out that the 1970s builder in that area apparently failed to put in lines on some streets.