Wabash Valley cities and counties to receive stimulus money

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTHI) - The government has awarded almost a half of a million dollars in stimulus money to the Wabash Valley to help counties and towns go green by upgrading lights and making other energy saving improvements.

Four Wabash Valley cities or counties are winners of energy grant money that will be announced next week.

It is stimulus money that helps each make big improvements for free and also frees up money in the future.

The biggest winner in the Wabash Valley is the Sullivan County Courthouse.

Commissioners are getting $22,124 to upgrade the lights, and $199,000 to replace the windows and ventilation system.

The Sullivan County Commissioner, Jim Boes, said "Our windows needed it bad, they needed it real bad. This will not disturb the historical part of it. It's all going to go on the inside so you'll never see it from the outside. It will stay the same."

But major changes on the inside Boes says could save the county 25 percent, which might mean an extra $1,000 a month.

"The other big winner is Shelburn in Sullivan County,” said Boes. “The town is receiving more than $100,000. Most of that, almost $75,000 is going to replacing furnaces, air conditioning units and making other improvements, the rest is going to making lighting upgrades."

Clay County is receiving $71,500 to upgrade the lights at the courthouse and other buildings.

Clinton will be given $43,750 to upgrade lights at the buildings owned by the city.

Going forward, all the money should lead to increased savings on power bills and it couldn't come at a better time.

"With the economy like it is, we just cannot afford stuff like that so when we got the grant that just really is good news," said Boes.

The Indiana Office of Energy Development is controlling the stimulus grants. Four million dollars remain available with applications due by the end of April.

For more information on that grant money, click here