The town of Gantt has been awarded $117,000 to improve water service and install fire hydrants in the Rawls subdivision, Gov. Bob Riley’s office announced Wednesday.

The Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) will fund a project to increase water flow and install fire hydrants in the Rawls subdivision, home to about 50 people. It will require a $13,000 match from the town.

“Safe and clean water, as well as adequate fire protection, are basic services that are important to every Alabamian,” Riley stated. “I am pleased to help Gantt upgrade public services.”

Town clerk Christy Cartwright said obtaining this grant is the first step in ultimately securing funding to pave the subdivision’s streets.

“The reason we applied was because there was so much interest in paving the subdivision,” Cartwright said. “We found out the first step to do that is to reroute and upgrade the water lines. After this project is completed, we’re going to try to get another grant to pave it. Previous mayors had stated it was a priority of theirs, but were unable to get the project finished. So for this administration to be able to accomplish that goal — well, everyone is proud.”

The project will begin at County Road 82 and will go through Rawls subdivision, which is located off the Gantt/Red Level Road.

Water distribution will be improved by replacing 3-inch pipes with 6-inch pipes. The lines will then be relocated because existing lines are buried just below the street surface and are continually damaged by vehicles.

Four fire hydrants also will be installed. The existing water lines are too small to support the water-flow requirements of fire hydrants.

A similar project for the Dogwood Estates area in Gantt is in the planning stages, city officials said.

Funding for the grant was made available to the state through a program of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs (ADECA) is administering the grant.

This is the second grant Gantt has received this year. Earlier, it was the recipient of a new police car, funded by ADECA.