City News & Updates

HUNTINGTON – Alongside residents of a south side neighborhood, the City of Huntington broke ground Tuesday morning on a project to correct longstanding stormwater drainage problems along Cottage Avenue, Park Street and Jessup Street.

The neighborhood, known as the Home Place Addition, has long dealt with flooding and standing water in its streets and residents’ yards after moderate to heavy rainfall. 

In remarks during Tuesday’s groundbreaking ceremony, Mayor Richard Strick said that residents first brought these concerns to him while he was campaigning before his first term. Before him, multiple previous mayors had been involved in looking for solutions to the neighborhood’s infrastructure problems.

“Today we are fulfilling an outstanding commitment to this neighborhood,” Mayor Strick said. “It’s been too long, and we are pleased to be here to do something about it.”

The neighborhood’s stormwater system will be separated from the sanitary sewer to correct these issues, and a new storm sewer network will be constructed. A detention pond will be added between Park Street and Etna Avenue. 

Roadways within the project area will be fully reconstructed. Additional upgrades will include new curbs and gutters, drainage inlets and sidewalks.

Construction activity will begin the week of July 29. The infrastructure improvements will cost about $4.7 million in total. E&B Paving of Huntington submitted the project’s low bid and projects all phases’ completion for Spring 2025.

In September 2023, Indiana’s Office of Rural and Community Affairs (OCRA) announced a $600,000 Community Development Block Grant to help back the project. Duke Bennett, OCRA’s executive director, joined Mayor Strick, City Council members Charlie Chapman and Andrew Rensberger, several city department heads and neighborhood residents on Tuesday to turn the projects’ first shovelfuls of dirt.

 “I am happy to be here today on behalf of the state to celebrate this neighborhood project,” Bennett said.