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On Tuesday, ground was broken on the long-awaited Exit 142 sewer project in Fort Deposit.

The groundbreaking ceremony, held on the front lawn of Priester’s Pecans, was attended by Fort Deposit Mayor Fletcher Fountain and several city council members, members of the Water Works and Sewer Board of Fort Deposit, representatives from the USDA and Goodwyn, Mills and Cawood, the engineer and project manager, and local citizens and business leaders.

The stated purpose of the project, with an estimated price tag of $7,637,000, is to expand and rehabilitate the Town of Fort Deposit’s sewer system and extend the system to the intersection of AL-185 and I-65 to enhance the site desirability for future economic development.

Peter Hiebel, the chairman of the Fort Deposits Wastewater and Sewer board, led the ceremony and introduced the speakers.

“This has been a long time coming, and we are here to thank all of those who have helped Ft. Deposit get to this point. This project will give Fort Deposit the possibility of economic development in the future,” Hiebel said.

Fountain said the project represents the culmination of a goal he has had since the beginning of his time at the helm of Fort Deposit.

“I became the mayor of Fort Deposit 20 years ago — in 2000. My goal at that time was getting sewer services to the interstate and get a tier 1 project from Hyundai. After 20 years, the sewer is finally getting here,” the mayor said.

“It’s a good day in Fort Deposit,” he concluded.

Alan Bowen, USDA program director, also celebrated the project.

“Signing the document that said this money is coming to Fort Deposit meant a lot to me,” he said.

The USDA contributed close to $2 million towards the project.