City Of Crawfordsville Awarded Matching Grant Fund For Sugar Creek High-Bank Erosion

The City of Crawfordsville was recently awarded $582,076.11 by the Indiana Department of Homeland Security as part of the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) grant to mitigate the threat to homes and property on Wayne Avenue being created by high-bank erosion along Sugar Creek.

The grant will provide 75% of the funding for the project, matched with $194,027.85 in local funds for a total of $776,103.96. The funds will be used to purchase homes and properties that are in imminent danger due to the erosion being caused by the creek.

“While most Crawfordsville residents have been unaware of this longstanding problem, the threat posed to residents and homes in these two neighborhoods has devastating potential. Removing residents from harm’s way is our top priority but it must be done in a manner that avoids financial devastation to those affected,” said Crawfordsville Mayor Todd Barton. “Many of these homeowners have worked their entire lives to pay for their homes, only to face the eventuality of having it collapse into the creek due to landslide-type erosion.  It has taken several years of searching for a solution but I am relieved we can finally offer owners a path to safety that will preserve their investment in the property, thus avoiding the physical harm of a collapse and the financial devastation of losing their property.”

Two neighborhoods in Crawfordsville, Wayne Avenue and Sugar Cliff, have been threatened by the high-bank erosion for many years.  In fact, a portion of Wayne Avenue was closed to traffic more than a decade ago, and a residential lot has fallen into the creek due to the erosion.

In 2019 the Indiana Department of Natural Resources funded a Sugar Creek Channel Stability and Flood Risk Assessment for the City of Crawfordsville. The study evaluated geological conditions along with creek levels to project the future impact area of erosion.  Based on this data and predictions, at-risk properties were identified and classified in three levels of priority.  The properties covered by this grant award were those identified as being at the highest risk of collapse into the creek in the coming years and all are along Wayne Avenue.

Upon completion of this grant, the City will be eligible to apply for funding to mitigate the risk to those properties identified in the next priority level, some of which are also along Wayne Avenue as well as Sugar Cliff Drive.

Participation in the program is voluntary and affected property owners will be given the option of selling their property for the appraised amount. If an owner chooses to participate, the property will be purchased with the grant funding, all structures on the property will be razed and permanent deed restrictions will prohibit future sales or building on the property.