After being rejected in its first request, the Pike County road department has received a $400,000 CDBG grant to fund the much-requested paving of a county road.

“This is my district, and I know these folks are going to be happy,” said Jimmy Barron, District 3 commissioner. Barron said residents along the “Sandpile Road” as it has been called, have been requesting county assistance in paving the road for more than year.

“We were turned down the first time we tried to get a grant to do this project,” he said. “I’m glad we got this one.”

The grant requires a $200,000 match to be paid from the county’s road department budget, Barron said.

In addition to paving County Road 5521, the Community Block Development Grant also will help resurface County Roads 3341, 2270 and 2259. Survey work will begin soon on the project.

In other business at its Monday meeting, the commission:

• Unanimously elected Homer Wright chairman of the commission for the upcoming year with Ray Goodson vice chairman.

• Approved requests for proposals for new vehicles for the sheriff’s department.

• Approved approximately $13,000 in upgrades to the electrical system at the Pike County EMA building on Oak Street. “This will pay to bring the electrical system up to code, to connect a generator to our building, and to extend the awning to cover the generator,” said Jeanna Barnes, EMA director. Barnes said the state of Alabama gave the EMA office the generator and it needs to be connected to the building. The repairs were not in the department’s original budget request for fiscal year 2011.

• Gave permission for the commission chairman and vice chairman to oversee the surplus process for the engineering and road department. The department has some equipment, including computer equipment, which likely will be declared surplus and sold in upcoming weeks.

• Voted to continue meeting on the second and fourth Monday of each month. Members also decided to hold the regularly scheduled meeting on Nov. 22, even though it falls during Thanksgiving week.