City still waiting on downtown grant money

By Staff
Jason Cannon, Franklin County Times
If the City of Russellville is ever going to get its downtown enhancement project off the ground, they may have to remind the State of Alabama to write them the check.
Russellville was approved for a $400,000 downtown enhancement grant in 2004. But more than two years later, the money still has not been released and work has yet to begin.
Monday night, Wes Self, division manager for Goodwyn, Mills and Cawood Inc., said the firm could not begin work on the planned downtown streetscape project until the FHA releases the money to the Alabama Department of Transportation, who will manage the money on the city's behalf.
"I think a letter to the FHA from (the mayor and council), might be of some help in moving this project along," Self said.
Self added that a four- to five-month design period would follow as soon as the money is released and a traffic study would soon follow that.
A public meeting would be held before the final design was complete.
In other business, the council: