28-01-2025
Projects to prep for chips maker SK hynix left in the air following federal grants halt
Projects to prep for chips maker SK hynix left in the air following federal grants halt
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — A memo sent on Monday by the Office of Management and Budget, ordering a pause on federal funding while President Donald Trump's administration reviews what aid is consistent with new policies, has resulted in a pause to several large projects and programs around the Greater Lafayette area.
One of the biggest projects halted, West Lafayette development director Jen Van Schuyver said, is upgrades to the city's northside regional lift station and force main upgrade on the north side of the city, necessary for the arrival of chip maker SK hynix. Those upgrades, Van Schuyver said, were made possible through a $2.1 million grant by the U.S. Economic Development Administration.
During Tuesday's Board of Public Works and Safety meeting, West Lafayette Mayor Erin Easter said several other programs and projects would be impacted by the federal pause. Those known at this time including AmericCorps, the Community Development Block Grant, a FEMA grant to remove exhaust carcinogens from the bays of fire stations 1 and 3, and the Safe Streets for All Community Transportation Safety Plan.
"Those are the five we know of immediately that will be impacted by this pause on federal funding," Easter said.
Van Schuyver said regardless if the federal funding needed for the upgrades ahead of SK hynix's arrival are ultimately pulled, they will still happen. But where that funding will come from is up in the air.
"The city and our wastewater treatment plant will have to come up with a solution to fund the project in the event funding is nixed," Van Schuyver said.
Cait Parker, director of external relations and events for Food Finders Food Bank, a non-profit organization dedicated to feeding those in need across 16 Indiana counties, said it was unclear as of Tuesday afternoon if federal funding the nonprofit receives would be in jeopardy.
"While the impact of the federal grants pause remains unclear, Food Finders Food Bank will continue our core mission of providing food and life-stabilizing resources to our neighbors," Parker said. "We are carefully assessing the situation as we await further clarity."
Jillian Ellison is a reporter for the Journal and Courier. She can be reached via email at jellison@
