ADECA grants will fund sewer upgrades and repairs in Attalla, water lines in Altoona

Donna Thornton, The Gadsden Times
·2 min read

Two municipalities in Etowah County have received Community Development Block Grants to give them an assist in infrastructure work.

Attalla received a $500,000 grant, and Altoona will get grants of $293,000 and $25,000.

Attalla's grant from the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs (from U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development funds) will go to sewer upgrades and repairs in District 2 and District 3, Mayor Larry Means said — mainly in District 2.

The city has been working to upgrade 60- to 70-year old sewer lines for years, Means said, and City Engineer Jason Nicholson has been going after every grant the city can get. "We've gotten millions in grants" over the years, the mayor said.

The grant, announced last week by Sen. Andrew Jones, R-Centre, and Rep. Gil Isbell, R-Gadsden, requires a match of almost $100,000 from the city.

That match, Means said, is a good investment for Attalla. While grants typically do not cover total costs of a project, it's much better than the city having to come up with the total cost.

Work on Attalla's sewers will continue for some time, the mayor said. In addition to the aged lines, he said the city has three sewer lines that run under the interstate, where leaks sometimes occur, making repairs necessary

Altoona Mayor Rick Nash said Altoona's larger grant will go to replace water lines, and the $25,000 will be used for a comprehensive plan — covering engineering costs for the project.

"We still have some cast iron pipes that have been there forever," Nash said. Pipes will be replaced on the town's main street and one other.

Nash said its a good grant for Altoona — he thanked ADECA for making the project possible.

The city also received a grant totaling about $600,000 for medical equipment, including new heart monitors for ambulances.

"It's been a good year," Nash said, with Altoona receiving about $1 million in grants in the last three months.

Contact Gadsden Times reporter Donna Thornton at 256-393-3284 or donna.thornton@gadsdentimes.com.

This article originally appeared on The Gadsden Times: Attalla, Altoona get ADECA grants for sewer, water line work