(Brookville, IN) – Franklin County officials held a ribbon cutting Friday for the improved parking lot at the Government Center.
John Palmer with the Franklin County Economic Development Commission says it will provide better handicapped access to the Health Department and other county offices located in the building located at 1010 Franklin Avenue in Brookville.
“For the last 20 or so years that this place has been here, people have had to walk about 200 feet from our handicapped parking to get into the building,” Palmer said. “This has enabled us to put the parking right in front of that door and we’ve got space now for four people instead of two. And so this has been a great thing for helping people who really need assistance getting into the building.”
Palmer added federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) or coronavirus relief money helped pay for the improvements.
“They (the federal government) allowed us to use the funds for a variety of purposes if we declared it lost government revenue, which we did, and this is one of those things,” he said.
Palmer said the project cost nearly $400,000 to complete, and that it would not have become a reality without the ARPA funds.
He added Franklin County has also poured coronavirus dollars into several other projects, including roof repair at the government center, $100,000 for new pumps for the Metamora Sewer District, and $50,000 to all of the county’s volunteer fire departments for equipment purchases.
In addition to the county Health Department, the Franklin County Government Center houses the County Commissioners, Economic Development, Surveyor, Auditor, Treasurer, Assessor, Recorder, and the Area Plan Commission.
