ADECA Director Jim Byard Jr. today welcomed local officials from across the state to the first of a two-day workshop at the Renaissance Riverview Plaza Hotel. The sessions will focus on the application process for Community Development Block Grants.

“Community Development Block Grants awarded through ADECA provide resources that enable Alabama counties, cities and towns to address urgent community priorities,” Byard said. “These grants help fund vital projects that improve the lives of thousands of residents each year.”

Because the application process is detailed and the grants are awarded on a competitive basis from limited funds, ADECA hosts a yearly workshop for communities planning to apply for the grants. ADECA staff members outline the requirements for submitting applications and share their expertise with attendees which include public officials, area planners and grant writers.

CDBG funding is made available to the state by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. ADECA receives and reviews grant applications and recommends projects to the governor for approval. CDBGs awarded through ADECA help bring jobs and industry to communities, help build or improve water systems, sewer systems, roads, community and senior-citizens centers and other projects that improve Alabama communities. Here are a few recent examples:

• A $750,000 CDBG awarded to Hackleburg in Marion County is helping to rebuild the Wrangler Distribution Center which was destroyed by a tornado on April 27, 2011, preserving 150 jobs and adding 50 new jobs once the new center is open.

• With a $427,000 CDBG, Rainsville in DeKalb County has extended public sewer service to 53 homes in the Woodridge Circle subdivision so that 129 residents no longer have to rely on faulty septic systems prone to overflows and sewage backups.

• A $250,000 CDBG enabled Town Creek in Lawrence County to construct a community center and library so residents can access a local facility for afterschool programs, meetings and other events.

• The city of LaFayette in Chambers County used a $245,812 CDBG to rehabilitate nine streets that were narrow, riddled with potholes and plagued with drainage problems. The streets were resurfaced and the drainage system was improved, reducing floods and making life less stressful for 195 residents who live in the project area.

• A $327,613 CDBG enabled Houston County to extend public water service to 37 homes in a rural portion of the county, giving 137 residents access to a clean, reliable source of water for the first time.

ADECA will accept applications for 2012 CDBG projects through May 15 and awards will be announced in the fall. Funds are awarded in five categories: large city, small city, county, community enhancement and planning. Economic-development CDBG applications are accepted year-round.

Although any county or municipal government could be eligible to apply for certain CDBG funding through ADECA, Alabama’s largest cities, known as entitlement communities, normally receive CDBG funding directly from HUD.

Contact: Mike Presley, Larry Childers