Red Bay awarded grant for ditches

By Staff
Melissa Cason, Franklin County Times
RED BAY – The City of Red Bay received a grant for nearly $400,000 so that the city can install drainage ditches in the city's Airport subdivision.
Mayor Jeff Reid said that the subdivision has low-lying areas where water stands for long periods of time, sometimes days, on the residents' property, and underneath homes causing damage.
"Approximately 80 percent of the homes in the subdivision are affected by this problem," Reid said.
He added that the funds will enable the city to enstall drainage ditches in the Airport Subdivision in the city, which will allow water to drain properly and decreasing water damage to homes and property.
Gov. Bob Riley announced earlier this week that the state awarded $14.1 million in grants to help Alabama counties, cities, and towns provide essential improvements for their citizens and enhance their communities. Red Bay's chunk of the grants is $399, 500.
The 34 Community Development Block Grants awarded by Riley will go toward supplying vital services and projects involving water and sewer repairs and expansions, road improvements, housing rehabilitation and water demolition of unsafe structures.
"Many basic, but necessary services often come with price tags that many counties and small cities cannot afford," Riley said.
"The Community Development Block Grant program enables small governments to make needed improvements without going into debt or reducing services. I am pleased to award these grants."
Reid said the city is in the preliminary stages of installing the drainage ditches, and that he expects the project to be underway sometime after Jan. 1, 2008.
The grants were awarded from funds made available to the state through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs is administering the grant.