Grant for sewer upgrades in Sheffield to lead to business and job growth

SHEFFIELD — A $500,000 grant to improve sewer infrastructure in Colbert County will lead to dozens of jobs, according to the governor’s office.

The grant to the city of Sheffield from the Appalachian Regional Commission, a federal-state partnership program, will be used to provide sewer improvements on the former Tennessee Valley Authority reservation, Gov. Kay Ivey announced. The improvements are needed to upgrade services in the area where several businesses have located or plan to locate.

The reservation will house the corporate headquarters of Bank Independent, which plans to add 100 jobs.

Also, the Colbert County Emergency Management Agency and the Colbert County Justice Center are located on the property as well as the headquarters of the International Fertilizer Development Center.

“Bringing new life and new development to the former TVA site is a win for Sheffield and the surrounding area,” Ivey said. “I am pleased to announce this project which will benefit Sheffield, Colbert County and the Shoals as a whole.”

Ivey notified Sheffield Mayor Steve Stanley that the grant had been approved.

The project, a combined effort among the city of Sheffield and the Colbert County Commission, will involve replacing a sewer pump station that is more than 50 years old and adding new sewer lines.

The Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs administers the ARC program in Alabama.

“The Appalachian Regional Commission has been a valued partner in the Alabama ARC region since its creation by Congress in the 1960s,” ADECA Director Kenneth Boswell said. “This project will benefit both private and public entities by providing services and jobs in the Shoals region.”

ARC is an economic development agency of the federal government and 13 state governments. The agency’s mission is to innovate, partner, and invest to build community capacity and strengthen economic growth in Appalachia to help the region achieve socioeconomic parity with the nation. Colbert County is among 37 Alabama counties in the ARC region and eligible for funds.

ADECA manages a range of programs that support law enforcement, economic development, recreation, energy conservation and water resource management.