Another significant stride in repairing Florala’s streets was announced Monday by Gov. Bob Riley, who notified officials the city would receive a $400,000 sewerage improvement grant.

The Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), which requires a $40,000 match, will be used to repair several sewerage lines in town, said utilities board chairman Marvin Williford.

“A while back, we had cameras run up our sewer lines to see how storm water was entering into our treatment plant system,” Williford said. “(This money) will allow us to put in a plastic tube liner down the pipes so we don’t have to dig up and replace the whole thing. It also will allow us to build up two lift stations — one at Lake Jackson and another at Central Y — since they get flooded each time it rains.”

Williford said this project should not be confused with the “Main Street Project” the board announced recently, which will replace old water lines running down the middle of Fifth Avenue. He said finished plans for that $500,000 project, which is being footed entirely by the utilities board, were submitted from the engineer Monday and now will be forwarded to the Alabama Department of Transportation for final approval. The project should be let for bids next month.

“That means people are going to start seeing a lot of dirt being moved here shortly,” Williford said. “These two projects should be going on in a short span of each other, if not at the same time.

“We’re all doing our best to have residents drive down some good streets,” he said.

Florala’s announcement was one of three made Monday by Riley — the city of Hartford was awarded $400,000 for improvements at its sewer treatment facility and Geneva $500,000 to implement the sixth phase of a neighborhood revitalization effort.

“These are important projects that will help hundreds of Alabamians,” Riley stated in a release. “I am pleased to help these communities remove health risks, improve housing and enhance the quality of life.”