MONTGOMERY – The city of Dora will take a big step forward with redevelopment of a former coal mining site with help from a $1 million grant announced by Gov. Kay Ivey.
The Walker County city will use the funds from the Appalachian Regional Commission to build a 250,000-gallon water tower at the site of an abandoned coal mine. The tower will supply a development area called Heritage Landing, where a new Love’s Travel Center and Arby’s restaurant opened earlier this year. The Heritage Landing site includes an additional 25 acres to accommodate further development. The water system is currently at capacity, city leaders said, so the water tower will serve any future businesses that locate there.
“With a prime location near Interstate 22, Dora is continuing to move forward to new opportunities,” Gov. Ivey said. “This project is a big step toward revitalizing the area, and I commend city leaders for securing these funds and opening new avenues of economic development.”
The money comes from ARC’s Partnerships for Opportunity and Workforce and Economic Revitalization (POWER) Initiative, which provides funding for development projects in coal communities. The city had earlier received $3 million in federal funds through the Abandoned Mine Land Revitalization Program and has also received other ARC and Community Development Block Grant funds to assist with developing Heritage Landing.
The Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs administers the ARC program in Alabama.
“This ongoing project has already created jobs, provided new retail opportunities for travelers on Interstate 22 and provided a source of needed revenue for the city, and I look forward to more development once the water tower is completed,” ADECA Director Kenneth Boswell said. “ADECA joins Gov. Ivey and the Appalachian Regional Commission in support of this phase of the area’s transformation.”
Gov. Ivey notified Dora Mayor Marion Combs that the grant had been approved. Dora will contribute an additional $1 million to the water tower project.
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 Walker 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.
-30-
