CHILLICOTHE— The Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) has awarded a $1,000,000 grant to Bainbridge for sanitation infrastructure.

The money will be used for the installation of a new sewer line and the construction of a 150,000 gallon-per-day wastewater treatment plant. This new sanitation infrastructure is expected to provide service for 350 households and 40 businesses in Bainbridge.

Lewis Ewry, village administrator, said Bainbridge is the largest un-sewered community in the state. He said the village has tried three times in 26 years to secure funding for the project.

"It's always going back on not enough grants to fund it... we're between 350 and 450 houses roughly. So we divide multiple millions of dollars among those houses over a term of 30 to 40 years. We're trying to keep that cost down as low as we can and it's always gotten back to our residence can't afford it," Ewry said. "Now we've secured enough in grants and loans to get it done."

In addition to the one million dollar grant from ARC, other federal resources will provide an additional million dollars. State sources will provide $5,749,999 and local sources will provide $5,727,501, bringing the total project funding to $13,477,500.

“Up-to-date sewer infrastructure is critical to the health and well-being of Ohio families as well as to local communities’ ability to create jobs and compete,” Brown said. “This investment will have a significant economic impact for the Village of Bainbridge.”

ARC is an economic development agency of the federal government. It has a mission to build community capacity and strengthen economic growth in the Appalachian region.

Megan Becker is a reporter for the Chillicothe Gazette. Call her at 740-349-1106, email her at mbecker@gannett.com or follow her on Twitter @BeckerReporting