Published: April 17, 2008 08:31 pm            

Hanceville seeks sewer improvement grant

PATRICKM@CULLMANTIMES.COM



The Hanceville Water and Sewer Board needs money to repair damaged sewer lines in the area and Wallace State Community College is doing everything possible to ensure funding becomes available.

“It’s critical that they get these funds,” said Dr. Vicki Hawsey, president of Wallace State.

The board recently voted to apply for a $400,000 grant from the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs (ADECA). If approved, the grant — which will require a $151,000 match from the board — will be used to repair sections of a two-mile sewer line that runs along U.S. Highway 31. The board committed the matching funds to the grant during its regular meeting on April 8.

Board member Hubert Jones said most of the repairs would be concentrated in the southern part of the city.

“This will do the first part of it (line),” Jones said of the grant. “The whole project is $1 million.”

The damaged line is currently providing poor sewer service due to a high volume of water infiltration. The line services almost all of Hanceville’s fast food restaurants along Highway 31 as well as Wallace State Community College.

Hawsey said a well-functioning sewage system is needed to keep up with Wallace State’s long-term growth plans.

“We’re increasing at a rate of 3 percent a year in enrollment,” Hawsey said.

The college currently has approximately 6,000 students.

“By 2012, we expect to have another 2,500 to 3,000 students,” Hawsey said.

She added that several building programs are also in the works, which will require a strong sewer system.

Hawsey said Wallace State faculty members have already advocated to the Alabama Legislature to improve the board’s chances of receiving the grant. Faculty members have also taken their pleas to ADECA.

“We’ve written support to illustrate the seriousness of getting these funds,” Hawsey said.

In addition to helping Wallace State, repairing the sewer line is expected to help the board avoid fines from the Alabama Department of Environmental Management.

“ADEM has given us a couple of years to get the whole thing (project) done,” Jones said. “If we don’t, there will be another fine and write up I’m sure.”

The board is currently paying off a $25,700 fine ADEM imposed due to several unscheduled discharges from the Hanceville sewage treatment plant over the past year.

This is not the first time the board has applied for a grant to repair the Highway 31 line. Jones said the board applied for a similar grant last year, but it was not approved.

To Jones, Hanceville has a fairly good chance of receiving the grant this year.

“Talking with the engineer and our consultant ... everybody seems to think it’s likely to be a fundable grant.”

Jones expects the board to receive confirmation on the grant in September.

        

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