Arley gets $500,000 grant

ARLEY - A $630,000 project in Arley will provide a four-foot sidewalk,  connecting all major points in the town.
Arley has been approved for $504,000 from the Federal Transportation Alternatives Set-aside Program through the Alabama Department of Transportation, with the grant funding 80 percent of the project.  The town will be required to provide the remaining 20 percent match of $126,000, Arley Mayor Johnny Taylor said.
The Arley Town Council, during its regular meeting Tuesday, Oct. 13, voted unanimously to proceed with the project, pending being able to receive matching funds. Council member Brian Fincher made the motion, with Kennith Brown seconding the motion. Voting in favor were Fincher, Brown, Devin Guthrie and Bobby Smith.
Guthrie then made a motion, with a second by Smith, to allow Brittany Bailes, who attended the meeting, to pursue grants on behalf of the town, with the motion seconded by Devin Guthrie and all council members voting in favor.
The sidewalk will begin at the southernmost part of Meek School and travel on the school side of County Road 41, to where it will cross 41 over to the Arley Public Library and Town Hall.
The sidewalk will then travel in front of those buildings to another crossing at County Road 77, where it will cross to Traditions Bank, then continue on the bank building side of 77 down to Hamner Park.
At that point, there will be a crossing of 77 over to the Arley Fire Station and the Arley Farmers Market, where the sidewalk will continue and travel all the way down to the Wallace State Distance Learning Center,near Meek Baptist Church.
“This project is basically going to tie (the) Meek School campus to the Wallace State campus and the park,”  Taylor pointed out.

Arley seeking financial assistance toward matching portion of grant

Taylor noted the town will need financial assistance for the project’s required 20 percent match, so they are  requesting Bailes to seek funding options, as well as assistance from State Senate Pro-Tem Garlan Gudger and State Representative Tim Wadsworth.
“This is a tourism project more than anything else,” Taylor stated. “Smith Lake is the future of Arley’s side of the county.”
The sidewalk project had its origin with Waggoner Engineering communicating with Taylor’s son, who is also an engineer, about the possibility of such a project, based on requests Taylor had earlier made, the mayor explained.
Waggoner Engineering then told Taylor that the town had been approved for $504,000 in TAPS grant funding, Taylor continued.
“It came through ALDOT, but it is federal money,” Taylor explained. “So we have to match.
“We’re counting on Senator (Garlan) Gudger, Representative Tim Wadsworth and Brittany Bales going after some grants for us,” the mayor advised. “She is representing the town as a grant writer.
“We’re hoping in the upcoming year to be able to secure the money,” Taylor emphasized. “Financially, if it fell upon us, the project probably would not go. It’s all pending on grant money for the match.”
Once all funding has been secured for the project, it will be put out for bids for a contractor to do the work, town officials said. Waggoner Engineering will serve as the project engineer, Taylor said.
The project calls for construction of a sidewalk only, with the town looking maybe to add lamp posts later, they said.
“I hope this is the start to many projects,” Taylor said. “I feel like it’s the beginning of something.
“I ask (the public) to be patient,” the mayor continued, “because this is not something that is going to happen overnight. We’ve got a two-year window to get this out and bid.
“Safety will be the main factor,” Taylor pointed out.  “Kids will walk up the sidewalk, without being at the edge of the road.”
“A lot of kids, after school, walk from here to the park,” stated Town Clerk Tammi Farley. “A project like this is an exciting project, but it is also  for the safety of our kids. That means a lot.” 
“When we have Arley Day and parades, we’ll have sidewalks for folks to be on,” Taylor added.

Gudger, Wadsworth in full support of project

“Congratulations to the town of Arley for working together to make their community better,” Gudger pointed out.  “The half million-plus project will make students and the public safer and I stand ready to work with Representative Tim Wadsworth to see it completed,” Gudger added.
Wadsworth added, “This is a proud day for Arley.
“For the first time in our town’s history, we’ll have a sidewalk and it’s going exactly where it matters most, connecting Meek School to Wallace State Distance Learning Center, to Meek Baptist Church,” Wadsworth pointed out.
“The sidewalk will travel along the park route,” Wadsworth continued. “This grant means our children will have a safe way to walk to and from school, to the park, to Wallace State Community College and Meek Baptist Church, without sharing the road with traffic.
“Families, seniors and neighbors will have a place to walk, exercise and visit with one another,” Wadsworth continued. 
“It makes Arley a safer, healthier and more connected community and it shows that a small town can compete for and win the kind of investment that improves daily life for our citizens,” he said.
Wadsworth commended Taylor, town council members and everyone who helped make this project possible.
“We see this as the first step toward a more walkable Arley,” Wadsworth emphasized.

Town officials comment on project

“It’s a huge project for the town,” noted Guthrie. “It will help tie our high school and Wallace State campuses together and help the community be able to fully utilize everything our town has to offer,” Guthrie added. “It will definitely benefit our town and the community as a whole.
“The last (project) near this size was our water upgrade project,” Guthrie continued. “It’s been a decade.”
Police Chief Levi Brown emphasized the sidewalk would provider greater safety throughout town.
“From a safety standpoint, it’s going to be so great to be able to have this sidewalk for the kids and all the citizens of Arley, to be able to travel from school down to the Wallace State building and the city park.”