MONTGOMERY – Cullman County and the City of Hanceville have been awarded Community Development Block Grants from Gov. Robert Bentley. Columbiana also received a grant.
“These Community Development Block Grants help local government make needed improvements in their cities and towns,” Bentley said. “I am pleased to assist leaders in Columbiana, Cullman County and Hanceville to complete projects that will make life better for their residents.”
With a $270,941 grant, Cullman County will reconstruct and resurface two miles of road on County Road 1568 between the towns of Fairview and Baileyton. A combination of the April 2011 tornadoes and the Christmas 2015 floods have caused the road to deteriorate and wash out. Residents depend on the road to travel to and from 32 households, a church and multiple farms and businesses. The county is contributing $60,332 in matching funds.
A $24,000 grant will enable the City of Hanceville to complete a plan to redevelop downtown. The plan will evaluate current economic and physical conditions of the downtown district and chart a course for future redevelopment and economic opportunities. The city has committed $6,000 in matching funds toward the planning project.
The City of Columbiana will use a $450,000 grant to replace deteriorated sewer lines that serve 107 residents near downtown. The deteriorated lines have caused raw sewage to overflow into yards and ditches. The project will install 5,600 feet of new PVC sewer lines, repair six manholes and replace 30 sewer service line connections. The city is contributing $65,000 in matching funds to the project.
The Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs (ADECA) is administering the grants from funds made available by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
“ADECA’s Community Development Block Grant program represents some of the best possible outcomes of ADECA’s partnership with local leaders to improve the quality of life in Alabama communities,” ADECA Director Jim Byard Jr. said. “This year, ADECA received 108 applications for projects that support economic and community development. We were able to award 54 projects totaling $17.5 million in investments. I am proud of the projects chosen this year, especially this project to benefit the residents of Columbiana, Cullman County and Hanceville.”
ADECA administers an array of programs that support law enforcement and traffic safety, economic development, energy conservation, water resource management and recreation development.
Bentley informed Columbiana Mayor Stancil Handley, Cullman County Commission Chairman Kenneth Walker and Hanceville Mayor Kenneth Nail that the grants had been approved.
For an overview of the CDBG program in Alabama, see this video: https://youtu.be/GL51Tk73my0.
Image courtesy of the Cullman County Road Department
