LANSING – Lansing Township has been awarded a $485,000 grant for the construction of a sanitary sewer collection system in the village of Lansing.

Thursday, March 22, 2001

LANSING – Lansing Township has been awarded a $485,000 grant for the construction of a sanitary sewer collection system in the village of Lansing.

"You better believe this is what we’ve been waiting for for a long, long time," Elmer Akkerman said. "This is definitely what we need."

The Small Cities Development Grant comes from the Minnesota Department of Trade and Economic Development.

"We congratulate Lansing Township for this accomplishment" said Gary Fields, acting MTED commissioner. "These grants are highly sought after and competition among applicants is intense."

The township will use the funds to construct its first-ever sanitary sewer collection system. The USDA’s Rural Development Agency will provide the remaining grant and loan funds needed for the project, which is estimated at $2 million.

"The benefits derived from prudent economic development are invaluable and decent housing, sound commercial districts and adequate infrastructure are an important part of the package," Fields said. "I commend the officials and residents of Lansing Township for stepping forward and creating a better community and climate where economic development can happen."

Lansing Township abuts the city of Austin and is next to Austin Township. It is the most populated of all townships in Mower County.

Through the years, efforts to bring municipal services to the residents have been frustrated.

Mother Nature also has been an enemy, when flooding of the Cedar River that courses through the township contaminated private wells and overran private septic systems.

A chemical spill at an elevator in the village of Lansing contaminated the water supply for many village residents who must use shallow, sand-point wells for their water supply.

In recent years, an aggressive effort by township board members and township residents combined to address the problems, resulting in the SCDP grant.

The Small Cities Development Program is administered by the business and community development division of DTED. The program offers financial assistance to Minnesota communities that cuts a wide swath of community development needs, including water, wastewater, storm sewer and flood control projects as well as new housing, building conversion and housing and commercial rehabilitation.

Housing and commercial rehabilitation grants are, in turn, loaned to individuals to correct serious structural deficiencies and code violations in their homes and businesses.