MONTGOMERY — Gov. Kay Ivey has announced a $346,801 grant to upgrade a major portion of the city of Aliceville’s water lines to help ensure residents have safe and reliable water.
Funds from the Appalachian Regional Commission, a federal-state partnership program, will be used to replace the water line on Broad Street, one of the city’s most traveled and commercialized roads.
“Some of Aliceville’s water lines were in place even before it served as a camp for German prisoners of war during World War II in the early 1940s, so they are due an upgrade to continue serving residents and businesses,” Gov. Ivey said. “The combination of new water infrastructure along with new pavement from the Rebuild Alabama program will be a major improvement to Broad Street that will make residents proud.”
The project will involve the replacement of 700 feet of water line on Broad Street from Memorial Parkway (Alabama Highway 17) to Third Avenue Northwest.
City leaders say their goal is to replace the aging 6-inch metal line in advance of a paving project along the road as part of the statewide Rebuild Alabama program. They are concerned that if the Broad Street water lines are not replaced, they might break during or after the resurfacing project and cause damage to the road.
The Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs administers the ARC program in Alabama.
“This project will benefit the more than 2,000 residents of Aliceville and multiple businesses and establishments including the Aliceville Federal Correctional Institution,” ADECA Director Kenneth Boswell said. “ADECA is pleased to join with Gov. Ivey and the ARC in partnering for this project.”
Gov. Ivey notified Aliceville Mayor Terrence Windham that the grant had been awarded.
ARC is an economic development agency of the federal government and 13 state governments. The agency’s mission is to innovate, partner, and invest to build community capacity and strengthen economic growth in Appalachia to help the region achieve socioeconomic parity with the nation. Thirty-seven Alabama counties, including Pickens County, are part of the ARC region and eligible for funds.
ADECA manages a range of programs that support law enforcement, economic development, recreation, energy conservation and water resource management.
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