Brundidge Mayor Jimmy Ramage and City Manager Britt Thomas met with Jim Byard, Jr., director of the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs (ADECA), Wednesday to discuss an economic development grant the City of Brundidge is seeking.

“The City is making application for two grants that will greatly improve our sewage system,” Ramage said. “The grants we are seeking total $523,468. One is a competitive CDBG grant of $350,000 and we’ll have to compete with other municipalities for it. The other is a non-competitive grant, meaning the grant of $173,438 is awarded on merit. That is the grant we discussed with Jim Byard.”

If awarded, the ADECA economic development grant of $173,438 would fill a piece of the City’s economic puzzle, Ramage said.

At 20 percent, the City’s match for the economic development grant would be $34,688.

“It was a good meeting,” Ramage said. “Jim Byard is well familiar with our two food manufacturing companies, Southern Classic Food Group and Supreme Oil. Having been a mayor, he understands the challenges associated with wastewater systems. He also understands how these systems impact the budget.”

If the City is awarded the grant, the funds will be used for a sewer upgrade project involving the  $3.8 million expansion of Southern Classic Food Group that will include 49 additional job opportunities at the plant.

“The whole City will benefit from this project,” Ramage said. “It will improve the overall wastewater system and keep the waste water rates down. It will also alleviate problems like the one that resulted from the heavy rains in the spring on Sixth Avenue and John Lewis Street.”

Ramage said if both waste water system grants are awarded, it will be a win-win situation. The grants will total  $523,468 of the $1.9 million project.