Featured image: The town of Mentone was recently awarded a grant from ARC to develop a long-term plan for the city.
By Joseph M. Morgan
Editor and Publisher
MENTONE, Ala.— The city of Mentone will chart a course for future development with the help of a grant from the Appalachian Regional Commission, Gov. Robert Bentley announced today.
The $12,600 grant will help Mentone complete comprehensive plans that will set goals and serve as a guide for long-term community improvement and economic development initiatives. The Top of Alabama Regional Council on Governments (TARCOG) will help complete the plan, which will involve input from community and business leaders and residents.
“A comprehensive plan is an important blueprint for a local government to improve the quality of life in their community,” Gov. Bentley said. “As with our Great State 2019 Plan, strategic plans are an important component to ensuring success of a community. With the grants awarded today, community leaders in Mentone can work on setting important goals for the community.”
Mentone – a frequent tourist destination on Lookout Mountain – will develop a plan to guide town leaders as they invest in infrastructure to support and grow the outdoor recreation tourism economy. The plan also will guide the town as it seeks to collaborate with nearby communities on recreational trails and other projects.
The ARC is an economic development agency of the federal government and 13 state governments focusing on 420 counties, including 37 in Alabama, across the Appalachian Region. The agency’s mission is to innovate, partner, and invest to build community capacity and strengthen economic growth in Appalachia to help the Region achieve socioeconomic parity with the nation.
The Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs (ADECA) manages the ARC program in Alabama and is administering the grant. ADECA administers an array of programs supporting law enforcement and traffic safety, economic development, energy conservation, water resource management and recreation development.
“ADECA continually looks for opportunities to help communities attract jobs and development to improve the quality of life for residents,” ADECA Director Jim Byard Jr. said. “I am pleased this ARC grant will help Mentone and Woodville cast a positive vision for the future of their communities.”
Bentley notified Mentone Mayor Rob Hammond earlier this week that the grant had been approved.
