— The Limestone County Commission wants to purchase the LauCourt Event Center on Nick Davis Road, but is seeking grant funds to make it happen.

The building has been used since last spring as the East Limestone Senior Center though the county has been leasing only a portion of the property at a cost of $1,800 per month. The cost also includes utilities, janitorial services and sanitary supplies.

The commission voted Monday to apply to the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs for a Community Development Block Grant in the amount of $250,000 to help purchase the building and make improvements. Limestone County would provide matching funds of $124,500.

The cost of the 6,000-square-foot LauCourt Event Center is estimated at $340,000, while $15,000 would be used to renovate the restrooms and make them handicapped-accessible. About $2,500 would be used to perform miscellaneous electrical repairs and update the kitchen. The county would also use $17,000 to create a storm safe room in the building that would meet Federal Emergency Management Agency standards.

Del Schafer, economic development director for the Top of Alabama Regional Council of Governments, said the East Limestone Senior Center continues to be popular, serving 37 to 42 meals each day. He said about 242 people have been served by the Center since it opened.

“Before this opened they weren’t being served or they were being served by another Center,” he said. “It’s in the dead center of the East Limestone population. It’s really ideally located.”

Schafer said only a portion of the building is currently being used. Use of the whole building could enable a computer lab and the ability to leave quilting frames up, as opposed to storing them after use.

East Limestone resident Linda Wilson asked if the building would be inspected, and noted the building’s slab has a crack. Commission Chairman Stanley Menefee said an inspection has been conducted, but he had not seen the report.

“Nothing is perfect in this world and efforts will be made to correct the problems,” said Commissioner Gerald Barksdale, who represents East Limestone.

While the commission waits to hear the status of the grant, the county will continue to rent the facility on a month-to-month basis.

Menefee said he would like to have centers available to seniors in all districts. He said the commission is seeking a suitable senior center location in the northeastern part of the county in District 1.

Elsewhere, the commission awarded a bid of $219,580.02 to DRC Emergency Services for debris removal from creeks and streams related to the April 27, 2011, tornadoes.

Though the Natural Resources Conversation Service estimated the scope of work to cost more than $732,000, the presence of federally protected snails in two designated sites means no work can be performed in portions of Limestone and Piney creeks. If snails are found at a third location off Huntsville-Browns Ferry Road, that job will also be pulled.

Ten sites were identified for debris removal operations by the NRCS, and County Engineer Richard Sanders told the commission that each job was bid separately. DRC was the low bidder on each of the bids, he said.

The NRCS will pay 90 percent of the total project cost while the county will pay a 10 percent match.

In other cleanup news, Sanders told commissioners the removal of vegetative debris from the March 2 tornadoes is now complete. The commission awarded a bid last month in the amount of $63,500 to Cahaba Disaster Recovery for debris removal in East Limestone, the community hardest hit by the storms.

Also, the county approved numerous road projects in districts one, three and four. In District 1, projects include resurfacing and chip seal for Sharp Road, Old Schoolhouse Road, Oak Grove Road, CBJ Lane, Mealer Road, Meadowlark Lane and Copperhead Lane.

In District 3, projects include full-depth reclamation and chip seal for portions of Mayfield and Stanford roads and chip seal resurfacing on portions of Ham Road, Railroad Avenue and Sandlin Street.

In District 4, projects include asphalt plant mix for Lappington Road and Nelson Road north of Section Line Road. Other projects include chip seal resurfacing for Broke Road, Old Lawrenceburg Road, the east end of Happy Hollow Road, Sleepy Hollow Road, Cemetery Road off Grigsby Ferry Road, Guy Miller Road, MD Rose Road, Cantrell Lane, Holland Road, Audra Lane, Blue Spring Road, Spry Lane and Grace Hill Lane. Lastly, new chip seal is planned for New Oakland Cemetery Road.

In other business, the commission:

• Accepted the resignation of William “Doc” Oliver from the E-911 Board Place 3 and appointed Billy Knight to fill the remainder of the term that expires in June 2014;

• Appointed Lakin Collins to fill a vacant position on the Industrial Development Board for the remainder of the term that expires in May 2014;

• Awarded a bid of $32,000 to Limestone County Economic Development for a new or used tractor and rotary cutter for District 3;

• Awarded a bid of $25,995 to Woody Anderson Ford for a new mid-size sport-utility vehicle for the engineering department;

• Revised a staffing plan to add one investigator trainee in the sheriff’s department;

• Approved the hiring of Angela Haggenmaker as a corrections officer pending drug and alcohol screening;

• Approved a speed limit change to 35 mph on Johnson Road from Beatline Highway to Highway 251; and

• Revised a bingo permit for the Disabled American Veterans chapter 51 to meet at 17915 West Elm St. in Athens.

The commission will meet again for a work session at 10 a.m. on May 16 at the Washington Street annex.