Local project leaders, officials and others gather Tuesday for a grant announcement benefiting six projects in Limestone County. Pictured, front row, from left, are City of Athens Mayor Ronnie Marks, Town of Ardmore Mayor Billy Shannon, Athens Main Street Director Tere Richardson; back row, City of Athens Grant Coordinator Holly Hollman, Rep. Danny Crawford, Rep. Andy Whitt, Rep. Parker Moore, Limestone County Legislative Delegation Executive Director Taylor Thomas, Sen. Tom Butler, Alabama's Mountains Rivers and Valleys RC&D Council Executive Director Renona Seibert, Alabama Speaker of the House Mac McCutcheon and Limestone County District 1 Commissioner Daryl Sammet.

Local officials gathered despite the threat of rainy weather Tuesday morning to announce six projects that have recently been approved for grant funding from the Alabama’s Mountains, Rivers and Valleys RC&D Council.

The Council awarded more than $33,000 in grant funding among the projects, including $9,300 for two projects at Ardmore High School. Joining Council representatives at the announcement Tuesday were members of the Limestone County Legislative Delegation.

“RC&D is money well spent,” said Alabama House Speaker Mac McCutcheon, R-Capshaw. “When we look at taxpayer dollars and we’re in Montgomery, looking at the budget … RC&D, they become the voice of our local towns and communities.”

The AMRV RC&D Council was previously known as the Tennessee Valley RC&D Council, representing eight counties along the Tennessee River: Limestone, Morgan, Madison, Lawrence, Cullman, DeKalb, Jackson and Marshall. On Tuesday in Limestone, they announced the following grants for local projects:

• $4,500 to the Town of Ardmore for an entrance roadway replacement. Ardmore Mayor Billy Shannon said the town and its projects may be smaller than others, but improving the park and other amenities are important to the residents and he’s grateful to have RC&D’s support;

• $4,000 to the City of Athens for Swan Creek Greenway. Athens Mayor Ronnie Marks said the trail is now 7.4 miles round-trip, and he thanked RC&D for the grant and for previous grants received by the city, such as the one used to install a “dropbox for drugs” at Athens Police Department;

• $5,000 to the Limestone County Extension for its “A.G.E. Well Project,” a raised-bed gardening area for underserved members of the Athens community. Project leaders plan to have around 25 gardening beds managed by volunteers who will then provide the produce to veterans, low-income households, individuals with physical limitations and those with limited gardening space, according to the Alabama Extension;

• $10,525 to Athens Main Street for the Athens Passages Project. AMS Director Tere Richardson said RC&D Council members were some of the first to believe in their Merchant’s Alley project, and with the grant, they are able to recruit others to financially back the musically themed destination spot downtown; and

• $9,300 to Ardmore High School for Chromebooks and to support the Ardmore 4-H Naturalist Studies Program.

Rep. Parker Moore, R-4th, thanked each of the project leaders present at the announcement for their work to better their communities.

“I want to thank y’all for y’all’s support and y’all’s love and y’all’s passion in y’all’s communities, to reach out and create some of these projects,” Moore said. “I get excited every year just to see what’s going to be coming next and what we’re going to be able to help with.”

Rep. Danny Crawford, R-5th, echoed the sentiment.

“You’re going to find something to do in Limestone County,” Crawford said. “There’s a lot more coming. We’re growing. People are seeing this town, and they want to move here, and that’s because of y’all.”