The Lowndes County Commission is seeking funds to improve county roads.

In a special called meeting held Monday, May 7, the commission approved a resolution naming Chairman Charlie King Jr. as the financial officer for a Community Development Block Grant application to the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs for work on Lakeberry, Fleeton and Debeck Roads.

The application will be for up to $324,000 in CDBG funds with a $173,132 in kind match coming from the county to compete the improvements.

The estimated cost of the work is $113,417.31 for Debeck Road, $142,532.08 for Lakeberry Road/Lakeberry Lane and $38,693.15 for Fleeton Road.

The county in-kind match includes $14,732.13 in engineering and inspection and $159,400 in labor.

The dollar amounts are according to information provided by County Engineer David Butts.

The commission also approved individual project numbers and a letter of intent for improvements to 10 roads in the county with funds coming from the state’s proposed bond issue program for road and bridge repair.
Butts said the county does not know which of 10 submitted road projects will be selected.

However, he said, additional information was requested from the county on three of the roads including County Road 12 from County Road 17 to Alabama Highway 21 in District Two; County Road 54 in District One; and County Road 75 in District Four.

Other roads being considered from a list provided by Butts earlier are County Road 79; County Road 63; County Road 12: from Dallas County Line to Middleton Cut-off Road; County Road 12: from County Road 9 to intersection of County Road 17; County Road 23; County Road 37: from U.S. Highway 80 to the intersection of County Road 54; and Fredrick Douglas Road.

Butts said previously the application includes about 27 total miles of road.

He also said the list of roads should be driven by economic development, existing industry and the grade received by roads on the system.