An area of Athens prone to flooding during heavy rains will undergo significant improvements in the wake of a $500,000 grant, the governor’s office announced Thursday.

The funds will help shore up what Athens Mayor Ronnie Marks called a “critical need” for the Vine Street community. In addition to street and drainage improvements, the nearly $1 million project will include the demolition of dilapidated buildings in the area.

“It’s a $970,000 project,” Marks said, “so $500,000 will go a long way. This is a very important project for that community.”

The Athens project will address drainage issues such as failing inlets, paving streets and providing more sidewalks. The project area includes Vine Street, Westmoreland Avenue, Hardy Street, Bailey Street, Westview Avenue, Brownsferry Street and Levert Avenue.

Gov. Kay Ivey and ADECA Director Ken Boswell announced that Athens would receive the half-million dollar grant for its Vine Street Area Neighborhood Improvement Project during an awards ceremony Thursday. The grant is through the Community Development Block Grant program and is administered by the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs from federal funds. The block grant program aims to improve low and moderate-income areas.

In applying for the grant, residents, business owners, churches, Rep. Danny Crawford, the local NAACP and the Athens-Limestone Community Association that oversees the historic Trinity/Fort Henderson site provided letters of support for the project. Some of the businesses in that area rely on pedestrian traffic, and both businesses and residents experience water rising to their doorways during heavy rains.

“It’s a great partnership between state and local governments,” said Marks, who attended the ceremony in Montgomery. “This investment will have a positive impact on residents, business owners, churchgoers and those who utilize Lincoln-Bridgeforth Park and the Pincham-Lincoln Community Center on the historic Trinity/Fort Henderson site.”

The ALCA continues to work on additions at the Trinity/Fort Henderson site such as a walking trail and museum. The Trinity/Fort Henderson site tells the story of slave to soldier to student because the area was home to a Union Civil War fort where runaway slaves fought for freedom, and then housed the county’s only black high school until integration in 1970.

“The drainage improvements, new sidewalks and paving will add to ALCA’s efforts at the site,” Marks said.

The project area is in both Councilman Frank Travis’ and Councilman Wayne Harper’s districts. Travis said he is delighted by the news and what it will mean for District 3 as well as the portion located in District 5.

“This will mean a great deal to those who live in that area,” Travis said. “This has been a few years in making, but I’m so thankful for Mayor Marks and Gov. Ivey, and I’m thankful to God for blessing this project and coming through with the funding. This will brighten up that whole area. It will be a highlight of Athens with the improvements, the park and Trinity site.”

The CDBG program in Alabama is awarded annually on a competitive basis in several categories: small city (population 2,999 or less), large city (population 3,000 or more), county and community enhancement. Additionally, planning grants are awarded to help local governments examine and address needs.

“Community Development Block Grants are a means in which local governments can address some of their more pressing needs,” Ivey said on Thursday. “I am pleased to award these grants, and I commend those local officials who recognized those needs and took the time and effort to seek an answer through this grant program.”

In total, the Community Development Block Grants announced Thursday totaled $18.2 million to provide improvements in more than 50 Alabama towns, cities and counties.

“ADECA is pleased to join with Gov. Ivey in this grant program that annually helps Alabama towns, cities and counties obtain financial assistance for projects that benefit their communities,” Boswell said. “We look forward to seeing the positive impacts that these projects have on the quality of life for residents of these communities.”