MONTGOMERY – Gov. Kay Ivey has awarded a $142,603 grant to help Lowndes County work to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.
The county is using funds to resurface an access road to a testing and vaccination facility and to purchase public safety software. The awards are part of more than $40 million allocated to Alabama under a special Community Development Block Grant program funded from the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act. The grant funds are required to be expended on projects relating to the recovery from or preventing the spread of the COVID-19 virus or any future infectious diseases.
The COVID-19 testing facility is in the town of Gordonville, adjacent to the Town Hall. The current driveway is gravel and will be replaced with concrete. The county will also install sidewalks for handicap accessibility to the center.
The public safety software includes a Computer Aided Dispatch system for public safety agencies. It provides comprehensive tracking of public safety and emergency calls for service and incident management. It also helps with inmate tracking in the county jail to help ensure COVID protocols are being followed for inmates.
“Making sure those in rural counties have access to testing and vaccinations is a vital part of Alabama’s recovery from COVID-19,” Gov. Ivey said. “I commend Lowndes County officials for expanding access and tracking the safety of residents and emergency services staff.”
The funds were made available to the state by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and can be used to support COVID-19 testing and vaccinations; rental, mortgage and utility assistance; assistance to food banks and pantries; job creation and business assistance and related projects to provide pandemic relief.
Alabama counties and entitlement communities receiving the CDBG-COVID funds were required to make an application with the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs.
“Local and state partnerships are key to Alabama’s recovery,” ADECA Director Kenneth Boswell said. “ADECA stands with Gov. Ivey in helping Lowndes County continue its efforts to provide testing, vaccinations and quick emergency response during the global pandemic.”
ADECA administers an array of programs supporting law enforcement and traffic safety, economic development, energy conservation, water resource management and recreation development.
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