By Sarah Michalos, Daily Journal of Johnson County staff writer
One project would restore a 19th-century chapel in Franklin's cemetery, repairing the roof and steeple.
Another would convert a soon-to-be vacant fire station into a repair shop for the city's street workers.
Four vacant buildings in the downtown Franklin area could be purchased by the city and renovated.
A state department has asked communities that had damage last year from floods and tornadoes to submit projects they want to be funded with grant dollars.
Some of the projects are disaster-related, while others are part of a long-term wish list of improvements.
"The concept is to think about all the things you would do if you had the money to do them," Mayor Fred Paris said.
Cities and towns that submit their projects to the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs aren't applying for a specific grant, spokeswoman Ann McConnell said.
The state is gathering information on projects and their price tags and then will decide whether to offer funding as soon as this year or in the future.
Franklin has submitted 17 projects, and more than half are flood-related. In total, the projects Franklin has submitted will cost at least $33.5 million.
The city sent in some projects that are shovel-ready but need funding, such as a plan that would replace a storm drain, sidewalks and curbs along North Main Street.
The total cost of the project is about $8.5 million, and the city has been awarded $2.9 million from the Indiana Department of Transportation. Franklin needs another $5.6 million to complete the project and is looking to the state for help.
A project to add trash cans, benches, streetlights and new sidewalks and curbs along Jefferson Street is designed but also lacks funding, Paris said.
"Over the next few years, we're going to be chasing a lot of money," he said.
The office of community and rural affairs has received thousands of submissions since it put out a call for projects last month, McConnell said.
Employees are reviewing the projects and will check if the projects are eligible for state community development block grants or stimulus money.
Although communities aren't limited to listing projects that are related to disaster recovery, those projects will be given priority.
Paris has identified a handful of projects that are critical for the city, including the purchase of the temporary station where the police department has been since the June flood.
Another top project is buying the building on East Court Street where the planning department is and moving the mayor and clerk-treasurer and their staff members there to form a new city headquarters.
Buying and renovating the planning department building and the warehouse building the police are in will cost about $3 million.
Four of the city's projects would help reduce the risk of future flooding.
One project, estimated to cost $3.2 million to $3.7 million, includes buying businesses and buildings that are located in the city's floodplain, west of the county courthouse and north of Youngs Creek.
Some businesses include Franklin Engineering, Graham's Body Shop and Recovery One Towing. At least four homes are also on the list.
The properties would be moved to the west side of the city and out of a flood zone, Paris said in his proposal to the state.
He also is asking for help paying for two new fire stations, one on the city's north side and the other to the east near Interstate 65. Franklin officials have budgeted money for the stations, which are expected to cost at least $2.9 million combined.
The city would be able to spend the budgeted money on other flood-related expenses if it received grant money to help with the stations, Paris said.
A proposal submitted by the street department would take one of the old stations, which will be vacant after the new one is built, and turn it into a repair shop.
The station also could be used as a site to wash vehicles indoors, and the water could be collected to make salt brine, according to street commissioner Steve Compton's proposal.
Compton also proposed erecting a building to store the city's salt, plus scales that would allow workers to measure out the amount of salt they need.