By Fred Guarino
The Lowndes Signal

The town of Lowndesboro celebrated the completion of its new 200,000-gallon water tank with a ribbon cutting and water tasting ceremony prior to Tuesday’s regular Town Council meeting.

The town was awarded a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) in the amount of $400,000 to construct the 100,000-gallon tank, said Tiffany P. Horton, program manger, planning and economic development for the South Central Alabama Development Commission.

However, after reevaluating the project design, the tank size was increased to 200,000-gallon and came in under budget, she said.

Lowndesboro Mayor Rick Pate said acting as good stewards of the money, the town was able to return $18,600 of the grant.

“All the bills are paid and we’re finished with the tank,” Pate said.

HE said the town needed a new water supply and drilled a well. But he said the Alabama Department of Environmental Management would not allow the town to extend its water system without more storage capacity.

“So, now,  we’re in the middle of the third leg of that stool,” Pate said. “We’re going to add roughly 100 new (water) customers.”

He said the town went from an 80,000-gallon storage capacity to 280,000 gallons.

He said the water extension project should be completed Nov. 1.

The water service will now go to the Alabama River and Tallawassee Creek to Tawassee Pointe Subdivision.

“They have been asking us (for water) for a decade,” Pate said.

While Council members Caswell McCurdy and Jerry Ingram were not present for Tuesday’s celebration.

Present was the council’s newest member Connie Blair, wife of former Council member Dennis Blair, who resigned his post due to a scheduling conflict.