(LaCrosse, IN) - The Town of LaCrosse has been awarded a $3.27 million grant to continue improving its aging water system.

The funding from the Indiana State Revolving Fund will allow for the completion of the next phase of improvements to the system installed roughly 60 years ago, officials said.

The first round of upgrades was paid for with help from $2.76 million in grants and subsidized loans. As a result, the work is being paid for without a rate increase.

Without the outside sources of revenue, Town Council President Justin Kiel said the rate increase needed to fund the work would have been astronomical because of the system's relatively small number of customers.

"We have a great team of consultants, engineers, employees, and public officials who each executed their tasks perfectly to achieve something that our town will benefit from for decades," Kiel said.

The next round of improvements will focus on replacing existing water mains with larger ones to provide better fire protection and new hydrants.

The project's first phase included completing a new water plant, replacing mains, and chemical cleaning the town's wells.