Students will soon have more parking options at Red Level High School thanks to a second grant received from the Alabama Public School and College Education Incentive Fund Council.

A $50,000 grant was awarded to the school in spring to cover the cost of laying a fresh coat of asphalt on the student and bus parking areas, but, according to Red Level High School principal Johnny Odom, the project cost a little more than expected.

“The money that we had in the first allocation just wasn’t quite enough to do what we needed to do, but this second allocation was terrific,” Odom said. “These funds will us to create some much needed parking. Senator (Jimmy) Holley and Speaker (Seth) Hammett always seem to come through with what we need and they have been very supportive of every school throughout Covington County.”

The Alabama Public School and College Education Incentive Fund Council announced the approval of an additional $25,000 grant for parking lot renovations at RLHS Monday, to provide a total of $75,000 for the work.

Odom said the second grant will allow some extra work to be completed after the parking lot is finished.

“It has not been completed yet, but we plan to create new additional parking on the south side of the high school building. We also plan to pave a road leading down to the lower parking lot, which was somewhat eroded.”

Odom said all of the work will improve the overall safety of the grounds and ensure a better environment for the students.

“We needed a new layer of asphalt to be able to adequately support these heavy buses,” he said. “Speaker Hammett and Senator Holley are always concerned for the safety and welfare of all the students in Covington County. We always know we can count on their support for our schools.”

Hammett said that the safety of Alabama students is a top priority and the announcement of the grant reiterated that ideal.

“We are committed to providing safe and accessible parking for students, faculty and staff,” Hammett said. “I am delighted we were able to secure additional grant money to complete the project.”

Holley said the parking lot renovation will benefit Red Level in more ways than just safety.

“Red Level High School’s campus will be a safer and more attractive community asset as a result of this grant,” Holley said. “The entire community will benefit from this investment of state funds.”