SCREVEN COUNTY, Ga. (WTOC) – The small town of Sylvania in Screven County was given a huge grant from the state to help build and grow their community’s infrastructure.
WTOC talked to city leaders and locals about why this is so important to them.
The Georgia Department of Community Affairs awarded 36 communities across the state grant money, to help the small town infrastructure.
One of those small towns is Sylvania.
“Sylvania is like all small towns. We have an aging infrastructure and it’s a process. We have to take as little as we can do. So, this will get almost half of our city over the last, I would say, 10 years that we have completed. So were in good shape,” said Sylvania Mayor Preston Dees.
Now the town has a million dollars to put into their efforts.
Mayor Dees said they have a two phase plan for what to do with it.
“With this grant we will reconstruct sewer lines and water lines, even to the individuals’ homes,” said Mayor Dees.
Dees said the second part of the plan is to pave and renovate roads, including Abrams, Robins, Arnett, and Belle Street.
“What I love about Sylvania is our small town community. You kind of know everybody and you all look out for each other and that’s really awesome. We have seen growth which is exciting,” said Sylvania business owner, Grace Waits.
Waits, a business owner and Sylvania native, said she has seen the town’s infrastructure grow immensely in the past few years.
“Infrastructure is important from sidewalks to the roads for safety, for parking for our customers, all of that is important and we are excited for that,” said Waits.
Mayor Dees told WTOC that this grant money really is a true stepping-stone of hope for this community, especially after their cleanup efforts after Helene.
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