The city of Rainsville has been awarded a $28,000 grant to develop a plan to manage growth and plan the city’s future, Gov. Robert Bentley announced Monday while in DeKalb County.
The comprehensive plan funded by a grant from the Appalachian Regional Commission will serve as a guideline for orderly growth and development during the next decade.
“A city plan is a valuable tool that provides the structure needed to guide the development of a municipality,” Bentley said. “I commend community leaders for their commitment to make Rainsville an even better place to live now and in the years ahead.”
The plan will help the city establish goals, policies and actions involving transportation, infrastructure and utilities, capital improvements, zoning and land use, parks and recreation, economic development and tourism.
Local residents, the City Council, city department heads, the planning commission and other city boards will provide input into the plan. The Top of the Alabama Regional Council of Governments, a regional planning and development organization under contract with the city, will help direct the process of assembling the plan.
The city is providing $12,000 in local funding for the project.
Bentley notified Mayor Nick Jones of the ARC grant.
Congress established the ARC in 1965 as a supplemental grant program to raise the standard of living, improve the quality of life and promote economic development in portions of the 13 Appalachian mountain states. Thirty-seven Alabama counties, including DeKalb County, are part of the ARC area.
The Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs administers the ARC program in Alabama.
ADECA manages a range of programs that support law enforcement, economic development, recreation, energy conservation and water resource management.
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Contact Jim Plott or Larry Childers