The Pike County Commission authorized a Capital Enhancement Grant application for $10,000 in funding through the Alabama Historical Commission at its Monday meeting.

The Alabama Historical Commission will administer a $400,000 state-funded Grant Program in fiscal year 2015 for capital improvements to historical properties and sites that did not receive historical grants in the fiscal year 2013.

Homer Wright, Commission chair, said the grant for which the Pike County Commission is applying will be contributed to the restoration of the Pike Activities Building, commonly called the Rock Building in downtown Troy.

Wright said phase one of the restoration project will be to renovate the front 40-feet of the building for use as office space and to secure the walls of the back section of the approximately 80×175-foot building and put a roof on the entire building.

The Commission also authorized Wright and Harry Sanders, Pike County Administrator, to meet with Alex Whaley, of Whaley Construction Company in Troy, to get an estimate on the cost of the project.

Commissioner Joey Jackson, District 6, expressed appreciation to the county’s road department for the work being doing through the work release program.

“It’s a real benefit to the county,” Jackson said of the program. “The roadways are looking much better. A fine job is being done with the clean up.”

Jackson said the workers are picking up roadway trash ahead of the “bush hog.”

“The bush hog starts working at the top of the county and moves clockwise,” he said. “If the program continues to do the job that’s being done now, we need to increase the number of workers. A good job is also being done with weed control and the filling in of potholes.”

In other business, the Commissioners approved maternity leave for Kelly Baron, an employee of the Pike County Sheriff’s Department.

The Aug. 25 meeting of the Pike County Commission will be at 3:30 p.m. in the boardroom of the Pike County Health Department building. The purpose of the meeting will be to hear budget requests from all county departments.