GOOD HOPE — The Cullman County Industrial Development Authority presented the Good Hope City Council with a $20,000 check Monday night to help pay for road improvements on County Road 222 for the convenience store that is currently being built. 

The authority’s members attended Monday night’s council meeting to award the funding, which totaled $20,752. 

Good Hope Mayor Jerry Bartlett thanked the authority’s members, Cullman County Economic Development and the Cullman County Commission for providing the funding, and said the money will help pay for the curb and gutter for the store, along with the opening onto the road. 

The store that is being built there is only the beginning of the development of the area, so the money provided by the industrial development authority for this project will help the city, he said. 

City Planner Corey Harbison said the project will likely impact more residents of Cullman County than the residents of Good Hope, because they are more likely to use the County Road 222 interchange off of Interstate 65, so it will benefit more than just Good Hope. 

“I think the more Good Hope does to enhance the safety for those people, the better it does for everybody,” he said. “It’s good for the cities and county to work together to move the whole county forward.”

Industrial Development Authority Chairman Jason Grimmett said the authority is glad to provide additional funding for projects that are trying to open an area up for further development. tries to look for projects that will help with development 

“This is what we’re there for, and with the help of the commission, we’re able to do those things,” he said. “This is the perfect-type project for us, the access is going to help with more development and we’re glad to help.”