MONTGOMERY— Gov. Kay Ivey has awarded a $200,000 grant to provide new jobs, create commerce and improve public utility service in the city of Evergreen.
The Community Development Block Grant will pave the way for the construction of a Hampton Inn hotel and Dollar General store by improving sewer services. Hampton Inn plans to hire 18 employees while Dollar General will employ 10 people.
The sewer system upgrades will also improve service for residents and other businesses in the area.
“This project will bring needed renovations to Evergreen and create new jobs in the process,” Gov. Ivey said. “I am pleased to award this Community Development Block Grant to support these local efforts to improve a public service and expand commercial opportunities.”
The project will rehabilitate and modernize the Baggett Street sewage lift station which is more than 50 years old and requires frequent maintenance and repair. The lift station serves residents and businesses in the Liberty Hill region of the city.
Hampton Inn plans to build an 89-room hotel near the intersection of Interstate 65 and Alabama Highway 83 (Liberty Hill Drive). Dollar General has already constructed and opened its store off Liberty Hill Drive.
City officials said the sewer improvements are expected to lead to additional growth in the area.
The Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs is administering the grant from funds made available by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
“Having reliable sewer services is every bit as important to attracting new business and commerce as Bigfoot and Conecuh Sausage are to attracting visitors to the city from nearby Interstate 65,” ADECA Director Kenneth Boswell said. “ADECA is pleased to join Gov. Ivey in supporting these improvements.”
Evergreen bills itself as the Bigfoot Capital of Alabama after several reported sightings of the creature in the past decades while Conecuh Sausage is one of the more popular products produced in the city.
Gov. Ivey notified Mayor Stanley B. Stallworth that the grant had been approved. The city has pledged $100,000 in local funding for the project.
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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