3 days ago
Rural community of Alford benefits from innovative grant system
JACKSON COUNTY, Fla. (WMBB) – Through the rebuild from Hurricane Michael, the town of Alford has faced an issue shared among rural communities: a lack of funds.
However, a new opportunity is allowing Alford to put about $32 million in grant money to good use.
'In the past, when you received a federal grant or a state grant, you, as a city, had to borrow the money from a bank or lending firm to complete the work and then be reimbursed by the state grant system. That's really good if you're a large county or a large municipality. Our annual budget is about $350,000,' Mayor of Alford George Gay said.
Interest payments have made it nearly impossible for small towns to access grant funds. Alford, a town of about 550 residents, was one of the first to take advantage of a new opportunity.
'They fixed it across the state, where now it's a reimbursement system where once the workers complete each phase, they can turn in their work orders. We submit it to the state. The state applies the money to our account. We pay the contractor, and then the money's clear, and then we put it out. You do the paperwork. So instead of the money coming out of our general account or us having to borrow money, the money is given straight from the state, straight to the contractor. That is amazing, that has changed everything,' Gay said.
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Now, residents are seeing progress on a long-awaited infrastructure revamp.
Phase one of a septic-to-sewer project is nearly complete, with underground sewer lines and repaved roads.
Florida Street is the first to receive the renovations, making it one of the first in the state to benefit from the completed grant.
Phase two will connect the sewer lines to Marianna's sewer system.
'We partnered with the city of Marianna, which is about 9.1 miles away. So now with phase two, we run a line all the way to Marianna. So now all the sewage here will be forced into Marianna. Plus, between here and Marianna, it opens up some avenues for other developments, some other commercial properties that needed some septic sewer changeover,' Gay added.
Phase two should be bid out in the next couple of months.
The project will take at least another year and a half to complete. Residents will have the option to switch from septic to sewer at no cost to them.
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