By Fred Woods
Editor
Lee County Commissioners learned Monday that a Community Development Block Grant of $250,000 had been received from the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs (ADECA) for assisting in financing construction of a Senior Center in Beulah. The balance of the total $613,610 estimated cost of the center has already been budgeted so all the money is available and land has been donated for the site.
Commissioners unanimously approved motions to accept the grant and to contract with the Lee-Russell Council of Governments to administer the grant for the sum of $34,000. LRCOG wrote and submitted the grant proposal in behalf of the county.
The Commission also unanimously approved an intergovernmental agreement to be used by Lee County’s three municipalities to indicate cooperation with the county in the spay and neuter program discussed in the Dec. 4 Observer. Included in meeting packets, but not discussed at the meeting were two additional documents, a form for individual participants to fill out before spay and neuter services are performed and a one-page description of how the program will work. Any dog or cat owner with less than $25,000 household income is eligible to participate. Proof of income must be offered: either Medicaid card, most recent W-2’s for each household member, or SSI Disability letter for the current year.
County Engineer Justin Hardee presented an update of county ATRIP projects. After reminding commissioners and the audience that 75 {44c616e11cf70d617c8dd92fb0bc15f41001df771f775c6b004238009c89a3f0} of the county’s road system was not eligible for ATRIP, Hardee went through each of the three rounds of ATRIP and Lee County’s projects funded in each. In round one, $1,885,000 went to resurface Lee Road 240, the “Back Road to Columbus” from Hwy. 169 eastward to the Russell County line, a distance of 7.2 miles. Round two provided funds to resurface the entire lengths of LR 146 or Moore’s Mill Road ($1.4 million and 8.75 miles) and LR 158 from Hwy. 280 east to LR 379 (7.24 miles and $2.1 million).
The round three projects, 15 bridges and five road resurfacing projects are at various stages. One bridge, the one on LR 10, has been completed, in an almost unbelievable under five months, one is under construction, resurfacing a portion of Lr 54 is underway with the remainder to be let in 2016. All told, ATRIP provided for 40 miles of resurfacing and replacement of 15 bridges. These projects have been/will be accomplished in addition to the Highway Department’s regular road and bridge programs, federal aid, budget-funded resurfacing programs, etc.
But that’s it. Once these projects are completed, it’s back to the 57-year resurfacing cycle and the 100-year cycle for bridge replacement.
In other action the commission
approved changing Fat Daddy’s Bar liquor license to private club,
as has been the custom dispensed with the second (Dec. 28) December commission meeting,
approved, at Mr. Rendleman’s request, budget adjustments to shift funds into the resurfacing program and to provide initial funding to two already approved facility improvement projects, and
accepted the Highway Department recommendation and reduced speed limits in the Pine Brook Subdivision to 25 miles per hour. The reduction applies to LR’s 539, 540 and 541. Pine Brook is off LR 240 in southeast Lee County.