The Town of Centerville was awarded $250,000 in infrastructure planning grants, as announced by the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development. The grants were made available through $7.4 million in funding from the state Rural Economic Opportunity Act, passed by the General Assembly in 2016.
The grant is designed to provide “assistance to distressed communities and those with financially distressed utility systems,” according to tn.gov. Centerville was among 36 applicants to be awarded the grants.
Mayor Gary Jacobs was unable to explain what the grant money will go toward. “I would say (the grants would be used for) water distribution or sewer,” Jacobs said. “We’re really going to have to just sit down and discuss it. “When we started into phase two of the sewer work, we didn’t assume to be getting this grant, so our plans did not include that extra money.” Jacobs said he’ll be meeting with engineers as well as Centerville Maintenance Director Erik Hassell to “see what’s available and what’s eligible” for the money.
