Published: March 14, 2008 05:10 pm      

City gets grant for pair of improvement projects

A check for $250,000 was handed to City of Athens officials and Amazing Grants President Mary Kay Thomas Friday morning at City Hall.

The city will use the money, given as part of a grant, to install new sewer systems in two neighborhoods: Wooded Creek, annexed in 1989, and the Sand Springs addition, annexed in 2006, according to City Director of Utilities Don Herriage.

The check was presented by Kevin Smith, regional coordinator for the state Office of Rural Community Affairs (ORCA).

The grant was given through the Texas Community Development Program, which is one of the programs that ORCA administrates.

“I will liaison between the state and city and coordinate with the engineer,” Thomas said. She will be responsible for the project, financial and construction management and environmental review. She is also the grant administrator for the grant the city received in February for rehabilitating housing.

Herriage said the grant was applied for in October 2006. The city was notified in March 2007 that the city had qualified and was awarded the grant.

Both the areas to receive new sewer systems are older neighborhoods, and the current septic systems were installed before the modern aerobic system became popular.

It is a matching grant and requires the city to spend $67,000 in addition to the amount it received from ORCA. The city does not have to match the entire amount because it has already completed some of the work.

A water main has been placed in the Sand Springs addition, which cost $40,000. The streets have also been resurfaced at a cost of $14,000.

At Wooded Creek — on Live Oak Street — the city has placed water lines and meters in for $14,000. Road work has been completed in the neighborhood for an $11,000 price tag.

Herriage estimated the city has spent $90,000 improving these two areas.

Work on the new systems may begin in nine to 10 months, according to Herriage.

“We have to get it engineered and designed, then bid it out,” Herriage said.