PHIL CAMPBELL – Work in the Phil Campbell Industrial Park has been picking up in recent weeks and Phil Campbell Mayor Steve Bell said he was excited about his city’s economic future.

Bell said projects associated with the industrial park’s access road off Highway 19 and the sewer system are well under way.

“All the grade work and base work for the access road has been completed and we’re now just waiting on the paving crews to get the asphalt poured,” Bell said.

“We’ve also gotten the water tower constructed and hope to have the painters come in by the end of the week if the weather permits to get that finished up.

“We’re making some good progress. We just lack a few more pieces on these projects before we are done with most of the things we set out to do at the beginning of last year.”

The work currently taking place in the Phil Campbell Industrial Park was made possible by grants that were issued in March 2013.

Phil Campbell was awarded $1,557,408 that would go toward the construction of critical water and sewer infrastructures to support the reconstruction of businesses in the Phil Campbell Industrial Park.

The funds came from the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA).

Bell said this grant money would work hand-in-hand with the $2.45 million in grants and low-interest loans the town received in December 2012 from a special allocation Alabama secured from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, which was allocated for the new water tower and water lines, which have been connected and are just waiting on the pump stations.

“These items are necessary to making our industrial park viable to potential industry and to our town’s economic growth,” Bell said.

Bell said a company has already committed to relocating in the Phil Campbell Industrial Park, even though the name of the company cannot be released at this time.

“The company is currently pouring the concrete pad for their 82,000-square foot building,” Bell said.

“This will be a great boost to our economy, and we hope to announce the name of the company soon.”

Bell said the water tower and new water lines will also help the community as a whole, which experienced problems with low pressure in the sewer system following the damaging 200 mph winds of the April 27, 2011 tornado.

“Through previous grant money, we’ve already been able to establish sewer lines that are running from the sewer plant to the entrance of the industrial park,” Bell said.

“We’ve also begun to replace some damaged sewer lines with low pressure with gravity flow lines.

“It is just an exciting time in Phil Campbell with all these different projects taking place,” he said.

“The grant money we’ve received is helping us with these projects that are vital to our community and the support we’ve received is overwhelming.

“We appreciate all the different people working to rebuild our town, from the federal level down to our dedicated citizens. I truly believe Phil Campbell will be stronger than ever when it’s all said and done.”