Hackleburg accepts governor’s grant for paving project

HACKLEBURG — The Town of Hackleburg held its regular council meeting on Thursday, July 17, where it was announced that Hackleburg had received a nearly $250,000 grant through Rebuild Alabama.
The grant totaled $248,535, with a match of $25,000 from the town, for a grand total of $273,535. The council voted to approve paying the match during the meeting.
The grant will go toward paving Walker Street from Highway 43 up to Highway 253 in front of the fire department in downtown.
District 17 State Representative Tracy Estes congratulated the Town of Hackleburg and Senator Garlan Gudger on securing the grant.
“I'm always honored to assist my communities in any matter possible,” Estes said. “Whether it is writing letters of support, making phone calls to Montgomery or even trips to Montgomery as needed, I am always willing to help.
“I'm grateful for the highway improvements which will be coming as a result of these funds. These improvements are long overdue. It will improve the overall standard of living in Hackleburg.
“Allow me to also commend Hackleburg Mayor Darryl Colburn and the town council for their continued efforts and trying to make these projects a reality.
“Working together as a team is always critical in securing such funds. Collectively, I am certain we would all like to express our appreciation to Senator Garlan Gudger for his work and diligence in this project.”
During the meeting, the council also voted to approve appointing an engineer for the town so they could apply for a CDBG grant through NACOLG for more paving, as well as approving the town’s application for the grant.
The council announced the bid opening results for another paving project which included several roads such as Kennedy Road, Frederick Rollins Road, Greg Road, Union Hill Road and Barnwell Road.
The bid went to S T Bunn for a total of $266,424, and will include paving and striping.
The council also voted to hire Sheila Whitfield for an open rec center position. While Colburn said any of the five applicants would have been great for the position, Whitfield seemed the most interested. Councilman Don Barnwell abstained from the vote, saying someone else had expressed interest to him and he hadn’t committed to a single applicant for the position.
Colburn then brought up the town and water clerks’ need for more storage and asked the council to allow for the purchase of a building where files and other important information could be stored.
The council agreed to allow the purchase, which Colburn said would be in the $4-5,000 range.
The council also approved the purchase of new printers for the clerks, and to give one of the older ones to the senior center.
Next, the council approved the purchase of a new truck for the water department with remaining American Rescue Plan funds before the deadline to use those funds is reached.
The council discussed bringing Laura Franks’ property into the city limits but would need to research adjoining property lines first to see if that would even be possible.
After voting to approve sending Hackleburg Police Chief Kenny Hallmark to the Police Chief’s Conference in August and discussing open police positions and sending applicants to the police academy, the council voted to adjourn.