The city of Rainsville in northeast Alabama will receive a $350,000 grant to help repair a faulty section of its sewer system.
The grant was awarded to Rainsville by the Appalachian Regional Commission, a federal entity that funds projects in the Appalachian Region to bolster economic stability and quality of life, Gov. Kay Ivey announced on Wednesday.
“This project will improve a vital public utility service that is depended on by Rainsville residents and businesses in the downtown area and beyond,” Ivey said in a statement. “I am pleased to announce this grant in support of these improvements.”
Rainsville residents have dealt with sewer overflows for years due to old and deteriorating sewer lines, particularly along Alabama Highway 35. The sewer overflows were the impetus for city leaders to raise sewer fees in 2021 from $22 per customer to $26.38; fees that had not been raised for 16 years.
The $350,000 grant, combined with another $500,000 Community Development Block Grant awarded to the city in 2022, will go toward rehabilitating 63 manhole outlets in the area of the sewer system, an area that services 170 homes and 27 businesses.
Rainsville Mayor Rodger Lingerfelt told Alabama Daily News that the city will solicit project bids on the sewer repairs around the end of July, and that the improvements target low- to moderate-income areas of the city.
“We have a lot of leakage coming into our sewer lines; we have leakage going out too, but we have a lot that comes in, so it creates more water in our sewer lines, so that’s why we’re doing this,” Lingerfelt said on Thursday. “These haven’t been done since 1978, so they’re definitely in need of some work.”
In order to receive both the $350,000 and $500,000 grant funds, the city will first need to spend $200,000 of its own money, Lingerfelt said.
Alabama House Speaker Nathaniel Ledbetter, who represents Rainsville, told Alabama Daily News Thursday that repairs to the city’s sewer system were “much-needed,” and thanked Ivey for her role in seeing the grant move forward.
“This much-needed grant will help address a significant issue for our residents, local businesses, and our local government,” Ledbetter said. “I want to thank Governor Ivey for her support in issuing this grant and always working to improve the lives of our citizens in rural Alabama.”
The grant will be administered by the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs, with ADECA Director Kenneth Boswell saying that his department was “pleased” to be participating in the project.
“The Appalachian Regional Commission has for decades assisted Alabama communities with funding to improve infrastructure, provide jobs and training, and contribute to overall health and welfare of Alabamians living in the central and northern part of the state,” Boswell said in a statement. “ADECA is pleased to be a part of this project.”
The ARC covers 13 states and 420 counties, including 37 Alabama counties. The ARC has 14 members; 13 state governors, including Ivey, and is chaired by Gayle Manchin, former First Lady of West Virginia. The ARC awarded more than $5.2 million in workforce and business grants last week alone, and awarded nearly $530 million toward different projects during fiscal year 2022.