MONTGOMERY— More than $1.25 million in Community Development Block Grants have been awarded for improvements in four north Alabama municipalities.
Tuscumbia was awarded a $308,422 grant to upgrade water services and fire protection in one section of the city, and Athens was
awarded a $250,000 grant to construct a community center. New Hope plans to make sewer improvements with a $350,000 grant, while the town of Hillsboro will use a $349,850 grant for drainage improvements.
“Community Development Block Grants provide essential resources that help Alabama counties, cities and towns address urgent public needs,” Bentley said. “I am pleased to assist local officials with projects that will improve life in their communities.”
Tuscumbia will replace deteriorated water lines in the Stuart/North Milton neighborhood. The new water lines will eliminate rust-colored water caused by older metal pipes and boost water pressure, improving service and fire-fighting capabilities.
Athens will use its grant funding to convert the historic Trinity High School into a community center. The center will be available for senior-citizen and after-school programs, community meetings and activities and for private functions. The school is located at the site of Fort Henderson, an earthen-work fortress built by Union Soldiers during the Civil War.
New Hope will replace sewer lines in the Maple Road neighborhood, an area with about 211 residents. The city will upgrade sewer pump stations to alleviate sewage backup in houses and overflows at manholes.
Hillsboro will address some health and safety concerns by improving drainage in the Davis Road subdivision and in a small housing area along Lawrence County Road 400. The project will minimize flooding and standing water in the area.
The Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs is administering the awards from funds made available to the state by 
the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Bentley notified Mayors Bill Shoemaker of Tusumbia, William R. Marks of Athens, Charles Owens of Hillsboro and Butch Taylor of New Hope that the projects had been funded.
administers a wide range of programs that support law enforcement, economic development, workforce development, recreation, energy conservation and water resource management.
