MONTGOMERY – Governor Kay Ivey has awarded $1.2 million to assist three counties in south-central Alabama in their recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and to prepare for future outbreaks of any infectious diseases.

The awards to Dallas, Elmore and Perry counties are part of more than $40 million allocated to Alabama under a special Community Development Block Grant program funded from the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act.

Governor Ivey will announce additional grants to other Alabama cities and counties as applications are processed. The grant funds are required to be expended on projects relating to the recovery from or preventing the spread of the COVID-19 virus or any future infectious diseases.

“Alabama is making tremendous progress in overcoming the obstacles that the COVID-19 pandemic presented,” Governor Ivey said. “I am pleased to award these funds, and I am confident they will aid in our continued recovery efforts.”

Elmore County was awarded $600,000 to construct a storage facility to house pandemic and other supplies for emergency needs.

Dallas County was awarded $400,000 to design and construct isolation cells in the Dallas County Jail to prevent the spread of communicative diseases.

Perry County was awarded $200,000 and will also use those funds to construct isolation cells in the county jail to prevent the spread of communicative diseases.

The funds were made available to the state by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and can be used to support COVID-19 testing and vaccinations; rental, mortgage and utility assistance; assistance to food banks and pantries; job creation and business assistance and related projects to provide pandemic relief.

Alabama counties and entitlement communities receiving the CDBG-COVID funds were required to make an application with the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs.

“Alabama counties and cities qualifying for these CDBG COVID-19 relief funds were given the opportunities to determine how to use these funds, based on the guidelines, to provide the most benefit for their communities,” ADECA Director Kenneth Boswell said.  “ADECA joins Governor Ivey in looking forward to working with these partnerships.”

ADECA administers an array of programs supporting law enforcement and traffic safety, economic development, energy conservation, water resource management and recreation development.

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