By Joseph Morgan
joseph@southerntorch.com
COLLINSVILLE, Ala.— A $400,000 grant was awarded to the City of Collinsville this week that officials say will be used to upgrade and expand city’s water and sewer system in order to meet the needs that will result from Koch Foods’ proposed $30 million expansion to their poultry processing plant in Collinsville.
The Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs (ADECA) is administering the Grant using federal dollars made available to the state by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.ADECA administers a wide range of programs that support law enforcement, economic development, infrastructure upgrades, recreation, energy, water resources, job training and career development.
The funding will allow the city to complete upgrades to the water and sewage system, infrastructure improvements critical to meeting the increased demands and needs caused by the Koch expansion in Collinsville. Recently recognized as the largest employer in DeKalb County, the chicken plant currently employs 836 and provides contracts to numerous poultry farmers in the region. In addition creating hundreds of new jobs, the expansion of Koch’s Collinsville operation will also create the need for contracts with 150 new chicken houses. The Community Development Block Grant will be used to provide sewer services for the plant, which currently is served by an on-site and company-owned wastewater system. The town of Collinsville is providing local funding of $96,800 for the project.
Bentley notified Collinsville Mayor Johnny Traffanstedt that the grant had been approved earlier this week.
Traffanstedt said he and other city leaders have worked aggressively in past months locally and down in Montgomery for a shot at winning the Grant.
“This Grant is important to the future of our city,” Traffanstedt said. “The money puts us in a position to be able to expand our system to meet the needs of the growing industry in Collinsville. It’s a big piece of the puzzle in terms of providing the infrastructure needed in order for a plant here to expand.”
The Community Development Block Grant will be used to provide sewer services for the plant and allow them to tie into the city sewer system, which currently is served by an on-site and company-owned wastewater system. The town of Collinsville is providing local funding of $96,800 for the project.
