CHILDERSBURG, Ala. – Community improvements, some seen and some not, continue to mount in the City of Childersburg, especially for utility infrastructure projects.
The City of Childersburg has seen a significant upgrade in its fleet of first responder vehicles – brand new state-of-the-art ambulances and police patrol vehicles.
There have been continuing paving projects for city streets. The Limbaugh Community Center experienced a major renovation, along with improvements to recreational properties.
The Childersburg Water, Sewer, Gas Board has a brand new headquarters building, and quietly in the background, they have been quite busy using grant processes to make some equally important upgrades in their long-term abilities to deliver their services to the city and beyond.
“It’s great when citizens ‘see’ progress,” explained Childersburg Water, Sewer, and Gas Board General Manager Travis Mizzell, “but sometimes, progress cannot be readily seen. I can tell you we have been up to a lot in recent years in upgrading our infrastructure. There are a lot of strict regulations and lots of steps involved. It’s rare that one project is completed before we start the processes for the next several steps and projects.”
For example, since 2021, the Water Board has been awarded over $2 million to rehabilitate the Pinecrest Lagoon, sewer lines, and old water lines along the Old Sylacauga Hwy.
“After a lot of steps, we have now been approved to proceed with the actual project work. Before all that, the Board has spent almost a million and a half dollars rehabilitating six lift stations and a mile of sewer line. It’s a continuing process, and our Board is progressive in addressing our long term needs as a city, and they have been quite supportive of this process, as have the Mayor and City Council,” said Mizzell.
While the many steps are taken on all those infrastructure projects, they are moving on yet another, even larger project.
“We have taken on a new, never before available grant from any source – for $7 million – to replace aging infrastructure in a five-year program,” Mizzell revealed. “We have been selected for funding to replace our natural gas, cast iron infrastructure. That will lead to fewer system leaks and lower rates in the long run. This process has involved four very detailed applications, and this is our second grant from this source that went for $70,000 for the equipment necessary to take the next step.”
There are environmental studies, engineering studies for maximum efficiency and safety, and necessary approvals on a half-a-dozen levels. Planning, preparation, and permitting steps eventually lead to bids for the projects, with approvals in great detail for successful completion.
“The amount of required oversight and compliances can seem overwhelming at times,” explained Mizzell, “but that’s what it takes, and we have kept our eyes on the ball. While we’re working on formerly-approved projects and jumping through the hoops for the latest, we’re already busy applying for more.”
It’s a process that is providing significant progress for the future of the City of Childersburg to both maintain the available services well into the future, but also to make way for current and future growth.
“We were told that another application to provide funds for regulator station replacement was well-written and meets all the criteria for the grant program,” said Mizzell, “However, our total funding request exceeded the available Fiscal Year 2024 grant funding. I look at it like we’re in line for making it happen as yet another ‘next step’ for Childersburg in 2025.”
The important point to make of all this is that the future of our utility services in Childersburg is being secured right now.