City to use federal grant for street projects

A $480,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban development will pay for the replacement of water lines, service lines and street paving on several city streets.

New water lines and meters will be installed from Main Street to Heman Avenue and Adams Street to Rock Island, also known as the Dobbs addition, said City Manager Doug Powers.

Powers said water lines, meters and service lines will be installed all at the same time in an effort to complete the project efficiently for the city and the residence. He said in the past the project would be spread in to several phases which would result in costly overtime and street patching.

There will be more work done on the water and service lines and paving for the streets will be a secondary goal, said Misty Gulley, project coordinator.

Gulley said the funding is from a Community Development Block Grant. The city is awaiting the grant agreement from the State Finance Department before placing the project out to bid. She said once the agreement has been received and the project bid awarded, it will take 90 days to complete.

Gulley said the city has a $50,000 match in funds and an in-kind match of $12,399 in labor and equipment.

Powers said this project is part of the city's efforts to replace and update the water's infrastructure before there is a major problem. He said in the past projects like these have improved the neighborhoods and encourages residents to clean up and maintain their homes and yards.